


Blue Roses

by justkimberley



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Blushing, Coming Out, Confessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cyrus plays with TJs hair, Flower Language, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Secret Admirer, Slow Burn, TJ is basically a cat, oblivious boys, so much blushing how have they not caught on fire yet?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18466051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justkimberley/pseuds/justkimberley
Summary: When he sees all of his other friends in their relationships, TJ starts to feel like he will never have someone who cares about  him as much as his friends care for their significant others. Cyrus decides that TJ deserves to know that someone cares about him as much their friends care for their significant others, so he decides to leave TJ anonymous gifts.Will TJ find out who is leaving the gifts for him? Will Cyrus be able to pull this off without getting caught? Will either of the boys ever realize that the person that they like is right in front of them, and likes them back?





	1. Why Don't Guys Ever Get Flowers?

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first ever chaptered fic! I will be posting new chapters every Sunday. I hope that you guys enjoy it, I've been working on this since February. It's pretty much cannon compliant up to One In a Minyan.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has kudos/commented/read my previous fics, it means so much to me, and I'm glad that you guys are enjoying my writing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, on to the fic!  
> Chapter One: 2248 words

            TJ had not had an easy start to middle school. First, he realized that math was going to keep causing him problems. The concepts were just going to keep becoming more complex, and there was very little he could do about it. Then he became the captain of the basketball team and that was good. Then Buffy had joined the basketball team and that was not so good. Not that Buffy wasn’t talented, she was great. . . but that was the problem. TJ had worried that Buffy would take his place as captain. And then Buffy became his math tutor which led to him meeting Cyrus. Meeting Cyrus was not a bad thing, meeting Cyrus was actually a really great thing. But then TJ found out about his dyscalculia. Then he straightened out the whole problem with Buffy, told the school about his possible (at the time) learning disability, fixed the problem with Cyrus and Reed, _and_ fixed the problem with Jonah (which he had no idea about). So, finally, after all of that drama, middle school was in its final year and TJ was having a good time.

            TJ now had a group of friends that was supportive, he was doing better in math (because he finally got the help he needed), and he was still captain of the basketball team (and he was actually being a good captain now). Most of all though, TJ had Cyrus. TJ had never had a friend like Cyrus before, one who he could count on or talk to about anything without the fear of judgement. And he had definitely never had a friend that gave hugs as comforting and butterfly inducing as Cyrus. TJ knew he had a crush on Cyrus, he was pretty sure that everyone but _Cyrus_ knew he had a crush on Cyrus. But he wanted to keep it that way because he had no idea how Cyrus would react to his feelings, and he was happy with the way that things were now. He didn’t want everything to change after it had just become perfect.           

* * *

 

            Cyrus was having a pretty average time in middle school so far, he had fun with his friends, realized he had a crush on Jonah Beck, realized he no longer had a crush on Jonah Beck, and then realized he had a crush on TJ. His classes were going well (other than P.E.), and he was happy. Cyrus had even told all of his friends that he was gay. . . with the exception of TJ. Not that he thought TJ wouldn’t be accepting, but he was worried that it might change his and TJ’s friendship, and Cyrus really liked the way that things were between him and TJ now.

* * *

 

            It was a regular Wednesday when TJ and Cyrus sat down at their group’s lunch table. Marty was beside Buffy, handing her the extra napkins he had grabbed. Jonah and Libby were signing away, most likely having an adorable conversation. Andi was texting Walker with a lovesick smile on her face. And then there was TJ and Cyrus, who were just sitting and talking, both in a good mood.

            TJ looked around at his friends and, although he was happy for them and their relationships, he felt his mood drop a little. He was starting to feel like he would never get the chance to have what they have. TJ sighed, maybe a little dramatically, but who was going to judge him for that, these people were all his friends.

            “What’s got you sighing?” Cyrus asked with a little smile. TJ’s dramatics always seemed to entertain him.

            “I don’t think I’ll ever have someone who likes me enough to do things for me like get me extra napkins,” TJ said, looking down at his hands, hoping that he wouldn’t blush. TJ knew he was playing a dangerous game, telling his crush what he wanted without telling him that he imagined them doing those things for each other.

            “What makes you say that?” Cyrus asked, taking a bite of his sandwich and looking towards TJ.

            “I don’t know, I just feel like I’m too intimidating for people to want to be with me. . .  you know like, romantic stylez,”

            “Mmm. . . yes, romantic stylez,” Cyrus said, mock seriously while nodding his head, the hint of a laugh pulling at the corners of his mouth.

            TJ gently bumped Cyrus with his shoulder “Hey! Don’t make fun!” TJ joked back, “I’m being open and honest with you, just like you want me to be. Now I guess I’ll just never tell you anything personal again,” TJ added looking away from Cyrus, pretending to be upset.

            Cyrus’ demeanour immediately changed, “I’m sorry TJ! I didn’t mean to make fun of you.” Cyrus apologized, placing a hand on TJ’s shoulder. TJ felt butterflies rise in his stomach when Cyrus touched his shoulder, he was surprised that Cyrus didn’t pick up on the fact that he was kidding. “I always want you to know you can talk to me!” Cyrus finished giving TJ a pleading look. All TJ could do was laugh.

            “Underdog, I was joking! It’s fine. I just. . .  wish there was somebody who cared about me enough for us to give each other these. . . gestures of affection?” TJ finished. He wasn’t really sure what to call the things that their friends were doing, but he hoped that Cyrus would get what he was trying to say. He looked down at his food and blushed. He wanted Cyrus and him to make ‘gestures of affection’ for each other. But that would never happen, Cyrus probably didn’t like boys, and even if he did, there was no way Cyrus would like him like that.

* * *

 

            “I just wish there was somebody who cared about me enough to make these. . . gestures of affection?” TJ finished, looking down at his food after gesturing to their friends who were interacting with each other.

            The disappointment on TJ’s face as he said those words hit Cyrus like a brick. He never wanted TJ to feel like he people wouldn’t care about him. This gave Cyrus an idea. _He_ would give TJ ‘gestures of affection’ as TJ had called them. He would do this anonymously of course, he had no clue whether TJ liked boys or not, and he was fairly certain that even if TJ did like boys, he wouldn’t like Cyrus that way. But he did know that TJ wanted someone to show him that they cared about him, so Cyrus decided that he would be that person, even if he did it anonymously.

            The rest of lunch was uneventful. Jonah and Libby continued being adorable, Marty and Buffy had a race to see who could finish their meal the fastest, and Andi excitedly explained her and Walker’s plans for the weekend (they were going to an art gallery), while TJ and Cyrus rejoined the conversation, adding in their thoughts every now and then.

* * *

 

            Cyrus was staring at the contents of his locker, trying to remember what he had for homework, but all he could think about was his plan to give TJ ‘gestures of affection’ as TJ had so. . .  confusingly called them. “Hey Underdog!” TJ said as he suddenly appeared at Cyrus’ locker, breaking his train of thought and making him squeak. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Do you want to hang out at my place tonight? We can watch a documentary, or play Mario Kart, or something?” TJ asked, smiling at him.

            Cyrus finally remembered what books he needed to take home and started placing them in his backpack, “I wish I could, but I’ve got so much homework tonight, sorry. Maybe tomorrow, or the weekend? Wait, you have a basketball game tomorrow, that won’t work.” Cyrus frowned and bit his lip as he thought. He needed to plan his surprise for TJ tonight, and he had to finish his homework on top of that.

            “We could do homework together? I’ve got a lot to do too.” TJ asked. Cyrus could see the hope in TJ’s eyes, and he _really_ didn’t want to disappoint TJ, but he knew that if he didn’t plan TJ’s surprise tonight, he would overthink it too much and never go through with it.

            “I’m sorry TJ, I really wish I could, but this homework does not lend itself well to being finished around others.” Cyrus felt bad about lying, especially because he had to watch TJ’s face fall, but he knew that this surprise would be worth it. “How about we have a sleep over on Friday and I’ll make it up to you?” Cyrus added, hoping that this would turn the disappointment on TJ’s face into the hopeful look again.

            “Yeah?” TJ asked hesitantly, smile slowly returning to his face.

            “Yeah.” Cyrus replied nodding earnestly.

            “It’s a deal,” TJ said, his smile now in full bloom. “Sleepover on Friday. See you tomorrow then Underdog!” TJ walked away smiling, holding onto the straps of his backpack.

            “See you tomorrow TJ!” Cyrus said as TJ walked away. Cyrus turned to take one last look in his locker to make sure he actually had all of his homework and smiled to himself as he turned around to make his way home.

* * *

 

            When Cyrus got home, he finished his homework in less than an hour and a half which is probably the fastest that he had ever finished his homework. He was just so excited to plan out his idea and put it into action. Cyrus had about an hour until supper that he could use to think about what he could do for TJ.

            Cyrus knew that TJ wanted someone to give him ‘gestures of affection’, but he wasn’t entirely sure how he should go about doing that. Obviously, it should be something that TJ would like, but what would be good enough? Cyrus thought back to all the things he had heard TJ say that he wanted or that he liked. TJ liked history, he could talk about it for hours with Cyrus, but Cyrus wasn’t sure how he could make that a gift. TJ liked basketball! But getting TJ something that was basketball related didn’t seem personal enough. Then Cyrus remembered what TJ had said last Valentine’s Day.

            _TJ and Cyrus were walking through the pink and red decorated halls of Jefferson Middle School on Valentine’s Day, watching as the school’s many couples exchanged gifts, mostly girls getting flowers and boys getting chocolate (if anything). Cyrus was watching all of this happen, imagining what it would be like if him and TJ were each other’s Valentine’s, when TJ started complaining about how girls never got their boyfriends flowers for Valentine’s Day. “Guys like flowers too!” TJ had exclaimed at the end of a long rant about how gendering flowers made no sense because flowers are hermaphrodites. “At least. . . I like flowers too.” He added softly at the end, glancing at Cyrus, as if he was worried that Cyrus was going to judge him for liking flowers._

_“Me too,” Cyrus had replied, giving TJ a reassuring smile, “I think flowers are pretty, and they smell nice. I don’t see why more guys don’t get flowers as gifts.” TJ had grinned widely after Cyrus said that, looking relieved that Cyrus agreed with him._

            That memory gave Cyrus an idea. He would get TJ flowers! But, how would he make the flowers special? He knew that TJ liked flowers, but he didn’t know what kind of flowers TJ liked, and he didn’t want to ask him because that would make it way too obvious. Cyrus was thinking about how flowers were too basic and how he should just come up with a different gift when he remembered his stepmom talking about how flowers have meanings. Cyrus’ dad had given her some flower that she said meant admiration (or something like that), and Sharon went into a long spiel about some secret flower language.

            Cyrus quickly looked up flower meanings on his laptop and found that there were a lot of flowers with meanings he could use to describe TJ. This would make his flowers so much more special than if he just gave TJ flowers for no reason. Cyrus jotted down the names of all the flowers that applied to TJ and their meanings until his mom called him for dinner.

              After dinner, Cyrus went up to his room to finish planning TJ’s surprise. He had almost finished choosing the flowers he wanted to get for TJ when he came across a list of the meanings behind different coloured roses. Most of the roses’ meanings were predictable, and not that impressive, but one rose in particular stood out to Cyrus. This rose stood for: _I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you_ and Cyrus thought that nothing could ever describe the way he felt for TJ better than that rose, so he knew he had to give it to TJ. Cyrus constantly thought about TJ. He knew that TJ was just his friend, and he was okay with that, but he still couldn’t help but think about how great TJ was. So, with that perfect rose in mind, Cyrus knew exactly what he would do for TJ’s ‘gestures of affection’. Cyrus would give TJ two flowers every day. One flower would have a meaning that reminded him of TJ, and the other flower, to remind TJ of how his ‘anonymous admirer’ felt, would be a blue rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like TJ would love Brooklyn 99...  
> If you want to follow me on tumblr or ask me questions/yell into the void/whatever, my tumblr is: justkimberley (the same as it is on here). My ask box is always open!
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed reading so far! Please kudos/comment if you want, they make me so happy!


	2. Sweaty Basketball Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ's team plays basketball, and the rest of the gang cheers them on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who kudos/commented/read the first chapter of this fic, it means a lot to me! I'm glad you are enjoying it so far!
> 
> Now, on to the fic!  
> Chapter 2: 1793 words

            Cyrus woke up the next morning feeling incredibly motivated. The problem was that he was only motivated to put TJ’s surprise into action, not motivated to do school work. He decided that the only way for him to actually be able to focus on school today would be if he ordered TJ’s flowers now so that they wouldn’t be on his mind for the rest of the day. Then there would be nothing else for Cyrus to do for TJ’s gifts other than wait until he had to deliver them. Luckily, Judy’s Blooms had a website so Cyrus could order all of the flowers needed before the store even opened. He finished placing the flower order as he got ready for school so he could focus on his schoolwork and his impending sleepover with TJ until Sunday afternoon when the first group of his flowers would arrive.

* * *

 

            TJ was putting his extra books in his locker when Cyrus popped up, holding a blueberry macadamia nut muffin. “Hey TJ! I felt bad about not being able to hang out last night, so I stopped by that bakery that sells your favourite muffins,” Cyrus said as he waved the muffin under TJ’s nose, “and I got you one!” Cyrus finished, making the most adorable face that TJ had ever seen. His brown eyes were scrunched by the wide smile he was sporting, and it took everything TJ had in him to tear his eyes from Cyrus’ face to look at the muffin being waved under his nose.

            “Thanks Cyrus!” TJ said hoping that Cyrus thought the enthusiasm was related to the muffin, and not related to how happy TJ was that Cyrus was thinking about him, “You really didn’t need to though. I actually had a really productive night, and I know that you can’t be free all the time,”

            “Thank you for understanding,” Cyrus said in what TJ had dubbed his “Therapist Impression Voice” and then started laughing as he handed TJ the muffin.

            TJ took a bite from the muffin, and closed his eyes with glee, that muffin was arguably the most delicious muffin he had ever had (even though TJ’s had this exact muffin from the same bakery before, it was better because Cyrus got it for him). “This is so good,” TJ said, his mouth full, “We’re still on for Friday, right?”

            “Of course! It’s going to be so much fun!”

            “Awesome!”

            Cyrus and TJ continued talking at TJ’s locker until the bell rang, forcing them to go their separate ways to get to class.

            “If I don’t get to see you before your game starts tonight, good luck! I know you guys will do great!” Cyrus said when he heard the bell ring.

            “Thanks! We’ve been working really hard, so I hope we do well. And thanks for the muffin Underdog, see you later!” TJ turned and walked away from Cyrus, looking over his shoulder to see Cyrus one last time before he had to face his classes.

* * *

 

            Friday could not come soon enough as far as Cyrus was concerned. He and TJ had not gotten a chance to hang out, just the two of them, for a long time. Despite what some people might think, Cyrus didn’t just want Friday to come because he had a crush on TJ. TJ was one of Cyrus’ best friends, and he really missed spending time with him. TJ knew almost all of Cyrus’ secrets, and Cyrus was pretty sure he knew most of TJ’s. TJ would listen to Cyrus talk about reptiles and dinosaurs for hours on end and never once look bored or make Cyrus feel like he didn’t care about what Cyrus was saying. Cyrus could listen to TJ talk about history and plants for hours on end and never get bored. Whenever TJ talked about them, his voice took on an enthralling cadence that Cyrus couldn’t ignore (it didn’t hurt that TJ was also quite attractive as well). But first and foremost, TJ and Cyrus were best friends, and that was why Cyrus was so excited for Friday.

* * *

 

            As far as TJ was concerned, Friday could not come soon enough. He wanted nothing more than to spend some time with Cyrus. They hadn’t been able to hang out, just the two of them, in over a week. TJ was starting to miss Cyrus. As much as TJ loved his other friends, he wasn’t as close with them as he was with Cyrus. Cyrus knew all but three of TJ’s secrets, and TJ was pretty sure he knew most of Cyrus’ secrets now too. He could listen to Cyrus talk about things he was passionate about until the end of time without getting bored. Cyrus just had this way of speaking that made you want to care about what he was saying and want to remember his words. Cyrus talked with his body too, constantly shrugging, waving his hands, making different facial expressions, it made Cyrus’ words come to life. And yeah, having a crush on Cyrus made it very easy to watch him tell stories, but listening to Cyrus’ stories would always be interesting, whether you had a crush on him or not.

* * *

 

            TJ was in the gym warming up with his teammates and their opposing team, the Eagles, before the game started. The fact that after he finished this game it would pretty much be Friday was distracting him a little bit but, for the most part, his head was in the game. TJ had just called his teammates in for a group huddle when Cyrus burst through the gym door holding some posters, rushing towards the bleachers. When Cyrus sat down, he waved at TJ. TJ smiled back at him in response until one of TJ’s teammates, Connor, gently elbowed him in the side and cleared his throat. TJ looked at Connor, slightly annoyed, but Connor just raised his eyebrows and nodded towards the rest of the huddle. TJ noticed all his teammates staring at him with knowing looks. TJ shook his head, deciding to ignore his teammates stares, and launched into his pep talk as planned.

            “Okay guys, we practiced hard this past week, but they did too. We need to stay focused on the game and put one hundred percent of our effort into it if we want to win. We have played the Eagles in the past, and they have beaten us. But tonight? Tonight, I have total faith that if we work together and try our best, we can come out on top. Now, who’s with me?”

            The other boys gave a cacophony of random words yelled in response.

            “I said, WHO’S WITH ME?” TJ yelled.

            “WE ARE!”

            “Alright, let’s win this thing.” TJ said as the team broke the huddle. His coach gave him an impressed nod as if to say, _good speech Kippen_ , and the first line of boys hit the court.

            TJ’s team played valiantly, and he couldn’t have been prouder. By half-time they were up by three points. It was a close game, but he knew that if they kept playing the way they were, they could win.

            TJ had been so focused on the game, he hadn’t looked at Cyrus’ signs. As it was currently half time, and the coach was talking to some of the other players, TJ drank some water, looking for Cyrus and the others to read the signs. Buffy and Marty were holding a sign that just said “Captain Kippen” with a picture of a basketball on it. Jonah, Libby, Andi, and Walker were holding a sign that said “34’s got all the Scores” with a picture of a hoop on it. And Cyrus was holding a sign that said, “We Adore 34!” which made TJ feel warmer than he did before.

            After half-time, the game continued. The Eagles were a strong team, but Jefferson managed to stay ahead of them. With ten seconds left in the game the Eagles shooting guard stole the ball from Connor and started making a breakaway for the net. If he got a 3-pointer, the Eagles would win. Jefferson’s defense all chased after the Eagles’ player and gave their best attempts to block him, but he got to the three-point line before them anyway. The player took his shot and all that the Jefferson team could do was watch as the ball flew through the air towards the net. The crowd was silent, the clock was on it’s last second, and the ball bounced on the rim, circled around once and rolled to the side, off the edge of the net, just as the buzzer went.

            The crowd went wild, the Eagles’ player missed the shot! Jefferson had won! TJ was congratulating his teammates, giving them high fives telling them how well they played when he felt a body, slightly smaller than his, run into him and wrap its arms around him from behind. TJ turned around to face the culprit of the surprise hug. “Congratulations TJ! You did so well! You won! Good job!” Cyrus said, leaning back to look TJ in the eyes, arms still wrapped around TJ’s waist.

            TJ bent down enough so that he could place his arms under Cyrus’, hugged him to his chest, and spun them around. “Thanks Underdog! I can’t believe we won!” TJ said as he placed Cyrus, who was giggling, back onto the ground. “It’s all because of your wonderful signs,” TJ said, grinning at Cyrus so wide he felt like his face might split.

            “No, that win was all you and your team.”

            “Congratulations Kippen, that was a good game!” Buffy said, snapping TJ and Cyrus out of whatever was happening between them, while walking up to TJ. The rest of the group followed closely behind her nodding in agreement.

            “Yeah man, good game!” Jonah said patting TJ on the shoulder.

            The group of friends continued talking for a bit while the gym cleared out. When they decided that they should probably get going, the others left while Cyrus turned to TJ “Now, go celebrate with the rest of your teammates. I’ll see you tomorrow… sweaty basketball guy,” Cyrus said jokingly before walking away with a smile on his face.

              “Hey!” TJ said, mock offended as he watched Cyrus head towards the gym doors, catching up with their friends. Cyrus just shrugged and waved as if to say ‘no offense’ while he was walking, still facing away from TJ. As Cyrus was about to go through the doors TJ saw him turn and look back across the gym. Their eyes met, and they waved to each other before Cyrus then turned back around and walked through the door. TJ definitely couldn’t wait until their sleepover on Friday now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit shorter than most of the chapters will be, the next two chapters are... real long, so you have that to look forward to!


	3. Who Wants Pizza?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally Friday, and TJ and Cyrus get to start their sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 2262

            After the basketball game, Cyrus went grocery shopping with his mom to get snacks for his sleepover with TJ. _That_ consisted of wandering up and down every aisle in the grocery store, picking out anything that he thought that him and TJ might want to eat and putting it in the cart. By the time they had gone through all of the aisles, the cart was full of chips, cookies, popcorn, pop, peanuts, fruit cups, juice pouches, carrots (who knows?), beef jerky, gummies, and chocolate. Logically, Cyrus knew there was no way that him and TJ could eat all of the food he had chosen, and his mom said as much, but he liked having variety! Besides, they could just keep the leftover food for their next sleepover.

            After Cyrus and his mom had brought all of the snacks home, Cyrus put everything into its proper spot and, when everything was in its place, ran up to his room. As he reached the doorway and looked in, he realized that his room was a mess. There was dirty clothing strewn everywhere, clean clothing in piles by his closet, bowls and spoons from previous snack endeavors on his desk, and old homework laying around (basically, he couldn’t see his floor), so he decided to clean his room in preparation for tomorrow. TJ and Cyrus had decided that they would walk to Cyrus’ house after school together, so Cyrus would have no time after school to clean before TJ came.

            After Cyrus finished cleaning his room and did his homework, he checked the rest of the house to see if it was clean too. He wasn’t sure why… but knowing that his house would be clean when TJ came over made him feel calm.

* * *

 

            TJ woke up in the morning after an eventful night of sleep to his alarm blaring. In TJ’s dreams he was playing basketball, and his team won the championship game. TJ had shot the winning basket and, while his teammates were congratulating him, Cyrus had run up to him and given him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. TJ blushed and buried his head in his pillow when he thought about his dream, trying to remember how it felt when Cyrus had kissed him on the cheek. He was about to drift off again when his second alarm went off. TJ grabbed his phone to turn off the rest of his alarms, only now realizing that it was Friday. His sleepover with Cyrus was today! With that in mind, he jolted out of bed and ran around the house to get ready for school. He had already packed his overnight bag the night before, so all he had to do was get ready for the day and then leave for school. TJ scarfed down his breakfast, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and grabbed both of his bags before running out the door to catch the bus. He felt like the sooner he could get to the school, the sooner he and Cyrus would be having their sleepover.

* * *

 

            _This day has somehow managed to simultaneously be the longest and shortest day ever,_ Cyrus thought as the bell finally rang. Cyrus packed up his stuff and headed towards his locker, slowly making his way through the crowd of middle school students who were also very excited that today was Friday. As Cyrus approached his locker and looked up from the ground (which he had been watching so that he wouldn’t trip), he was surprised to see that TJ was already there waiting for him.

            “Hey, TJ! How did you get here so fast?” Cyrus asked while opening his locker.

            “I brought all my stuff to my last class so that I would be ready as soon as it ended,” TJ explained, smiling as he shrugged.

            “Oh, smart thinking!” Cyrus said as he finished grabbing everything he needed from his locker.

            TJ’s smile somehow got even brighter when Cyrus said that. Cyrus had noticed that when people called TJ smart or intelligent (or any other synonyms of the word), his face would always break out into the biggest grin. It made Cyrus’ heart beat really fast and made his face warm, so he tried to do it as often as possible. He knew that TJ was still sometimes insecure about his dyscalculia, so he did his best to remind TJ that he was smart. Cyrus also made it a habit not to call TJ an idiot or stupid, no matter how joking his tone might be. He knew what it felt like when people joked about things you were insecure about, and he didn’t want to put TJ through that. Besides, Cyrus wasn’t lying, TJ was incredibly smart. There are multiple kinds of intelligence, and TJ was proficient in many of them.

            “Shall we get going?” Cyrus asked as he zipped up his backpack and closed his locker.

            “We shall,” TJ replied in a terrible British accent making the boys laugh as they walked towards the doors.

* * *

 

            TJ had been in both of Cyrus’ homes many times before, but he was always struck with how homey they felt whenever he walked in. None of his previous friends’ houses had felt as welcoming as Cyrus’. Cyrus’ houses always felt like a home away from home when he walked in. Today they were at Cyrus’ mom’s house, and the walls were covered in baby pictures of Cyrus. TJ loved these pictures of Cyrus, he would stare at them every time he came over. TJ loved seeing young Cyrus because in all of the photos, he looked so happy and carefree. TJ hoped that one day he would get the chance to see Cyrus look like that in real life – not just in picture form. Just as TJ was about to inspect one that he thought might be Cyrus in his mom’s clothes, Cyrus grabbed his arm, effectively dragging him upstairs to Cyrus’ room, away from the pictures, so that he could put his stuff down.

            “So, what’s the plan for tonight Underdog?” TJ asked, now drifting around Cyrus’ room looking at all of the knickknacks and pictures Cyrus had. TJ had been in Cyrus room many times before, but TJ was still interested in looking at all of Cyrus’ stuff, even after all this time. Every time he came over, he found new things, so he couldn’t stop exploring Cyrus’ room yet. Cyrus also didn’t seem to have a problem with TJ snooping, so TJ really had no reason to stop. TJ had a theory that Cyrus hid stuff and rotated it through to give TJ new things to look at every time he came over, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Then again, he was pretty sure the dinosaur figurine he was looking at was out two weeks ago, but not the last time he was here.

            “What makes you think that I have a plan?” asked Cyrus in a voice that TJ could only describe as attempting to be nonchalant and failing miserably.

            “The fact that you planned out the first group hangout I was ever a part of down to the minute? And the fact that you have also had a plan for every other sleepover that we’ve had,” TJ replied, turning his attention from the little dinosaur figurine he was inspecting to look at Cyrus, smiling widely.

            “Well, I did _not_ plan our sleepover down to the minute,” Cyrus said in a jokingly defiant tone, “But I did come up with a few activities we could do,” Cyrus finished biting his lip and looking up at TJ. Cyrus looked so cute when he did that, and TJ’s brain decided it needed a vacation to deal with what it was seeing.

            TJ’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to stutter out, “So, um, what, uhhhh, what activities did you come up with?” he asked, when his brain finally caught up with his heart and beat it into submission.

            “Mario Kart!” Cyrus exclaimed, sitting up straight, “And – also. . . other assorted Wii games, movies, snacks, pizza, and uh that’s all I had on the list.”

            “You made a list Underdog?” TJ gave Cyrus an incredulous look. He was so endearing.

            “Yeah. . .” Cyrus was blushing now, and TJ was once again short-circuiting. He really needed to get this stupid crush under control.

            “Well, then. . . let’s go play Mario Kart! I bet that this time I can beat you, I’ve been practicing!” TJ said, turning to run down to Cyrus’ basement where the Wii was.

            “You wish!” Cyrus said, chasing after TJ.

* * *

 

            TJ and Cyrus were sitting close enough on the couch to bump each other as they raced. As predicted, Cyrus was beating TJ by a lot. Cyrus’ character passed the finish line in first place, a whole ten seconds before TJ’s character passed in seventh, effectively ending the game with Cyrus in first and TJ in fifth overall. “It’s a massacre!” Cyrus exclaimed. He had won by 20 points for the second time in a row.

            “I still can’t figure out how you’re cheating,” TJ said, bumping Cyrus’ shoulder.

            “How dare you accuse me of such a thing!” Cyrus exclaimed leaning back on the couch and turning to look towards TJ, whose face was flushed from the exertion of the game, “I have never cheated in my entire life!”

            TJ leaned back, joining Cyrus, and looked at him, “You know what Underdog? Normally I wouldn’t believe someone who said that they had never cheated, but with you I actually _would_ believe that,”

            Cyrus blushed, that was a pretty fair judgement of his character, but Cyrus was not _always_ true to his morals, “Well, actually, I did cheat once,” he said quietly.

            “Really? _You_ cheated. On what?” TJ asked excitedly. Cyrus had never seen TJ look so surprised before, and he had been around TJ when a lot of surprising or weird things had happened (like that one time that Marty told everyone that the reason he and Buffy worked was because he told her that he ate a live frog). Cyrus didn’t think that him cheating was quite as surprising as that, but he launched into the story anyway.

            “It was a spelling test in fourth grade. I knew that I had gotten all of the regular list words right but when my teacher told the class the bonus word, I knew I wouldn’t get it right. I had never even _heard_ of Kijiji before, but I really wanted to get all of the answers right. So, I looked at the paper of the guy in front of me, copied off of him, and got it right!”

            “No way! And you went through with that? You kept the marks and everything?” TJ asked looking even more surprised and a little impressed.

            “Um, well, no actually,” Cyrus saw TJ stifle a laugh at that statement, “That night I felt so guilty I couldn’t sleep. I told my mom and she wrote a note to the teacher, and I explained what happened and how terrible I felt.” Cyrus finished his story, feeling his face turn red.

            “There’s the Cyrus Goodman that I know,” TJ slung his arm around the back of the couch, right above Cyrus’ shoulders and grinned at him, “Were there any consequences? Or did you walk free because you were a first-time offender? TJ asked jokingly.

            Cyrus felt his face grow even warmer as TJ’s arm rested behind him, “She let me keep the marks anyway because I remembered how to spell it and I promised I would never do it again. The only consequences for my actions were the extreme guilt I felt and the sleep that I lost.” Cyrus finished, hearing TJ chuckle.

            Cyrus glanced up to see TJ smiling at him. There was a look in his eyes that Cyrus couldn’t quite place. It was something like fondness, but Cyrus wasn’t sure what it would be directed towards. He figured TJ was probably just remembering his earlier years too. They were sitting comfortably in the silence just looking at each other. It wasn’t awkward, it was comfortable.

            As Cyrus was looking at TJ, he realized that he could trust TJ with anything. Not that he didn’t trust TJ before, but suddenly Cyrus was overcome with the urge to tell him one of the two secrets that he had yet to tell TJ. He wanted to tell TJ that he was gay. He trusted that TJ wouldn’t treat him any differently, and that they would still have their fantastic friendship even after TJ knew. Cyrus took a deep breath, “Hey, TJ, can I tell you something?” Cyrus asked quietly, looking down at his hands.

            “Yeah, you can tell me anything, Underdog,” TJ said, sitting up taller and turning his body to face Cyrus. Cyrus saw a concerned look on his face.

            Cyrus took another deep breath and opened his mouth to say it but, just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he heard the basement door open.

            “Who wants pizza?” Cyrus’ mom yelled down the stairs, breaking the spell. TJ and Cyrus jolted apart as if they had been shocked, and suddenly the moment was gone. 

            “We should get some pizza!” Cyrus said, changing his mind in the last second, deciding that he would tell TJ another time before he ran up the stairs to grab food. The sound of TJ’s footsteps chasing after him was reassuring, everything was still the same – as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we have made it to the sleepover! These next two chapters are some of my favourite.  
> That story about Cyrus cheating is pretty much word for word from my life,,, that was one of the guiltiest moments I think I've ever had.   
> If you want, you can check out my other fics in the break between chapters!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Thank you all so much for reading/commenting/kudosing (?) so far, it really means a lot to me. Feel free to come talk to me on tumblr @justkimberley , my ask box is always open! Have a great day!


	4. Can I Tell You Something?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the sleepover continues, Cyrus and TJ learn new things about each other. Some new secrets are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everybody who has read/kudos/commented so far, it really means a lot to me!
> 
> Word Count: 3480

            TJ and Cyrus were swapping stories while sitting on the couch. TJ had angled his body towards Cyrus, and Cyrus’ legs were over TJ’s. And, if TJ was holding Cyrus’ legs? That was just so Cyrus wouldn’t fall off the couch. It was also the most convenient spot to put his hands, okay? TJ was used to them sitting like this, it was a completely normal occurrence. Not only had he and Cyrus sat in this position many times before, he had also seen the rest of the GHC sit like this all the time. There was an array of junk food spread out in front of them and a random Pixar movie playing in the background, but they were too busy talking to pay any attention to it. They had seen it before anyway.

            TJ was listening to Cyrus tell a story about when he, Andi, and Buffy had tried to recreate their best day ever when he got distracted by looking at Cyrus. TJ was still paying attention, he heard every word that Cyrus said, and he would probably be able to recount the story for years to come, but his thoughts were mostly on watching Cyrus tell the story.

            Cyrus was a captivating story teller. He was very expressive. His voice changed cadences and pitches, his hands always moved for emphasis, and he had a habit of portraying his exact feelings on his face. TJ thought that Cyrus might have the most expressive face out of all the people that he knew. Watching Cyrus’ eyebrows scrunch together, or his lips purse, or his nose scrunch was TJ’s favourite part about listening to Cyrus tell stories. Cyrus pulled a particularly disgusted face as he recounted the feeling of losing his shoe in quicksand, and TJ was struck with the realization that he wanted to share everything with Cyrus. He wanted to have no secrets with Cyrus, and even though that thought scared him, he knew that Cyrus would be there for him no matter what. It was then that TJ decided he would tell Cyrus that he was gay. Not right now, because Cyrus was still telling his story, and he had just made the most adorable face while remembering how it felt getting stung by a bee, but TJ would tell him tonight. He wouldn’t tell Cyrus about his crush though, that was probably something that TJ would take to the grave, but he wanted Cyrus to know he was gay.

            As Cyrus’ story came to an end, TJ made sure to focus back on his words rather than how he was presenting them. “That sounds like a pretty bad day that ended not too badly,” TJ said after Cyrus finished telling TJ how they had accidentally walked off with two bikes that weren’t theirs.

            “Yeah, it wasn’t terrible in the end. The worst part was that Buffy was moving. But she’s back now, so all is good! We have plenty of time to have a new ‘perfect day’,” Cyrus said grinning.

            “Yeah,” TJ said thoughtfully, “and, maybe next time, I’ll be a part of it, Underdog,”

            Cyrus’ face morphed from complete contentment to amused curiosity, “Why do you call me Underdog instead of Cyrus?” he asked.

            “Do you not like it when I call you Underdog?” TJ asked, a little worried, he had never asked Cyrus if he liked that nickname, “I’ll stop if you want me to, I’m sorry if you don’t like when I call you that, Unde-Cyrus,”

            “No, no, it’s fine, I don’t mind being called Underdog,” Cyrus dismissively waved his hand, “I just want to know why you use nicknames so much,”

            “I… don’t really know why I use nicknames so much.” TJ replied pensively, “It might be because I don’t really like being called by my name. I prefer being called a nickname, so I probably just subconsciously assume that everyone else does too?”

            “You don’t like being called TJ? I’m so sorry I-,” Cyrus started rapidly apologizing.

            “No, Underdog, I don’t like being called by my real name,” TJ laughed, “TJ stands for something you know,” he teased.

            “Oh, right…” Cyrus was blushing now, and TJ thought he looked adorable, “What does TJ stand for? If you don’t mind me asking,” Cyrus asked hopefully looking up at TJ with his beautiful brown eyes. How could TJ say no to that?

            “I don’t mind telling you, I trust you,” TJ said softly, “But can we keep it between us please? I don’t want other people to call me by that name,” TJ said imploringly. This was one of the three secrets he kept from Cyrus (the other two being that he was gay and that he had a crush on Cyrus).

            “Of course, TJ, it’s between you and me. I promise,” Cyrus said, holding out his pinky, “I _pinky_ promise,” TJ blushed as he linked his and Cyrus’ pinkies together, not letting go as their hands dropped down to rest on Cyrus’ knee.

            “It stands for Tucker Jaxon,” TJ said looking down at his and Cyrus’ hands, his blush not fading as he saw that their pinkies were still intertwined.

            “Why…” Cyrus paused, seeming to think very carefully about what he wanted to say next, “Why don’t you like your name?” he asked quietly, as if he was afraid that TJ might get upset if he asked it too loudly.

            TJ took a moment before answering, “It’s not that I don’t like the name ‘Tucker Jaxon’ it’s just that. . .my grandpa’s name was Tucker,” Cyrus stared intently at TJ, as if he was silently urging him to go on, “We were really close, my grandpa and I, and when he,” TJ paused and took a deep breath, “when he died, it hit me really hard. Hearing people say his name all the time was like a constant reminder that he was gone, that Tucker would only be used for me from then on. So, I got everyone to start calling me TJ,” TJ finished, feeling tears build up in the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away, trying to stop them from falling.

            Cyrus unlinked their pinkies and lifted his legs off of TJ’s, moving to a different position. TJ was about to ask him to move back, because it had been comforting having Cyrus’ legs to hold, when Cyrus wrapped TJ in a hug. “I’m sorry that I made you relive that. But thank you for sharing with me. I promise, it stays between us,” Cyrus said quietly by TJ’s ear.

            After the initial shock of Cyrus’ hug wore off, TJ wrapped his arms around Cyrus and buried his face in Cyrus’ shoulder. “It’s okay Underdog, I wanted to share it with you. Thanks for understanding,”

            Cyrus broke the hug and went back to his previous position, and TJ was very happy to have Cyrus’ legs back on his lap. It was like Cyrus was his very own bony blanket. TJ placed his hands back on Cyrus’ shins and they sat in comfortable silence, turning their attention to the movie for a while.

* * *

 

            After the first movie had finished, they had put on Jurassic World. TJ was incredibly focused on watching it (he hadn’t seen it as many times as Cyrus), and Cyrus was incredibly focused on watching TJ watch the movie. TJ was being unfairly adorable. His eyes were wide, his mouth was slightly open, and he was leaning towards the TV, holding on to Cyrus’ legs like they were the lap bar on an amusement park ride. Cyrus thought that TJ looked more handsome then he ever had before. His hair was flopped over, he had his glasses on (he had taken his contacts out after the first movie – he said his eyes were burning), and he just looked so handsome. Cyrus watched TJ watch the movie for a little bit while he let his courage to move closer to TJ grow. Cyrus was feeling brave in the dim lighting of the basement. He had already spent most of the last movie with his legs on TJ’s lap (which was sooo comfy), but he wanted to be even closer. So, Cyrus slowly started moving his legs off TJ to get closer.

            TJ, who was still holding Cyrus’ legs, turned his attention away from the movie and gave Cyrus a questioning look. “My legs are starting to feel cramped,” Cyrus explained. TJ nodded and took his hands off of Cyrus. Cyrus thought that he might have seen disappointment flash across TJ’s face but, it was dark, so he was sure it was a figment of his imagination. After Cyrus had got his legs down and off of TJ, he moved his body from the end of the couch where he had been sitting and sat closer to TJ, still not touching him. Then, Cyrus slowly leaned over and rested his head on TJ’s shoulder. TJ looked down at Cyrus, so Cyrus looked up and TJ smiled at him, so he knew it was fine. TJ put his arm around Cyrus and adjusted their position so that they were lying down. Cyrus felt a blush warm his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was incredibly comfortable.

* * *

 

            TJ and Cyrus were cuddling, Cyrus was laying on TJ’s chest, and Cyrus had initiated it. TJ didn’t think that he had ever been happier. When Cyrus had started moving closer to him, TJ had felt his face warm up and his heartrate speed up, and he hoped that Cyrus wouldn’t notice. After Cyrus had put his head on TJ’s shoulder, TJ had pulled them into this lying down position, because it would be more comfortable for both of them (and he wanted to hold Cyrus), hoping that Cyrus would be okay with it. He knew Cyrus was fine with it though, because the second that TJ had maneuvered them to this more comfortable position, Cyrus had nuzzled TJ’s chest. TJ didn’t think he had ever been more comfortable in his entire life. He wasn’t even worrying about whether this was something that friends did because, even if it wasn’t, it was something that he and Cyrus were both obviously okay with, so it didn’t matter.

            TJ was once again struck with an overwhelming feeling of safety. He knew that his and Cyrus’ friendship would remain stable, no matter what. Cyrus was the most caring person he knew, “Hey, Cyrus? Can I tell you something?” TJ asked as his heartrate increased even more.

            Cyrus shifted to look at TJ’s face while still laying on him, “Yeah, of course. You can tell me anything, I’ll always be here for you,” Cyrus said seriously, reassuring TJ.

            TJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath, _just like taking off a band-aid_ , he thought, “I’m gay,” TJ said as he exhaled, eyes still closed. Even though he knew that Cyrus would be supportive, a small part of him still feared that he might have judged Cyrus’ character wrong, and that Cyrus would never speak to him again. TJ slowly opened his eyes when he realized that Cyrus hadn’t moved from his position and was still laying on top of TJ. That must be a good sign. But he also hadn’t said anything yet.

            Cyrus looked at TJ, almost as if he trying to make a decision, before flopping down onto TJ’s chest again. “I’m so glad that you trusted me enough to tell me. I want you to know that I will always be here to support you if you need me, and that I care about you a lot TJ. That will never change,” Cyrus finished, wrapping his arms around TJ to the best of his ability and giving him a tight squeeze.

            TJ felt himself start tearing up at Cyrus’ words. He was so glad that it wouldn’t become awkward between them. He liked the way things were now, and he would have been upset if things had changed for the worse. TJ wiped his tears away before hugging Cyrus back, “Thank you Underdog, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that,” he mumbled into Cyrus’ hair before turning his attention back to Jurassic World. After all, the CGI dinosaurs, even if they were not necessarily what dinosaurs would have actually looked like (thanks Cyrus), were pretty cool.

* * *

 

            “Hey, Cyrus? Can I tell you something?” TJ asked, Cyrus could hear the hesitation in TJ’s voice, and he heard TJ’s heartrate speed up.

            Cyrus shifted to look at TJ’s face while still laying on him, “Yeah, of course. You can tell me anything, I’ll always be there for you.” Cyrus was a little worried, he wasn’t sure what TJ wanted to tell him, but if TJ’s level of anxiousness was anything to go by, this was serious.

            Cyrus watched as TJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “I’m gay,” TJ exhaled, eyes still closed. Cyrus heard TJ’s voice crack slightly as he said it, like he had never said gay before. And maybe he hadn’t, Cyrus couldn’t know for sure.

            Cyrus wasn’t really sure what all of the feelings that hit him when TJ said he was gay were, or what he should do with them. Firstly, he was surprised. He had never thought that TJ would be gay. Secondly, he was hopeful that he might actually have a chance to be with TJ. And finally, he was filled with warmth. TJ had trusted him enough to tell him this incredibly personal secret. Cyrus knew how hard it was to do what TJ just did.

            While Cyrus was processing TJ’s words and his own feelings, he had been frozen in his position. He saw TJ slowly open his eyes and the look on TJ’s face was one that Cyrus never wanted to see again. TJ looked so vulnerable and afraid, like he was worried that Cyrus would hate him.

            Cyrus was still trying to decide what to say to TJ. Should he tell TJ that he’s gay too? That didn’t feel like the right choice. Cyrus felt like if he did that, he would be making TJ’s bravery about him, and he didn’t want _that,_ so he decided to just tell TJ what he wanted people to say when he came out to them. He flopped down on to TJ’s chest, happy to be closer again. “I’m so glad that you trusted me enough to tell me. I want you to know that I will always be here to support you if you need me, and that I care about you a lot TJ. That will never change,” Cyrus finished by wrapping his arms around TJ to the best of his ability, giving him a tight squeeze.

            Cyrus started to tear up, he hoped that his words would help TJ feel safe and accepted. He didn’t want TJ to be afraid to be himself, especially when he was with Cyrus. He nuzzled closer into TJ’s chest, wiping the tears on TJ’s sweater, hoping that he wouldn’t be able to feel the wet patches. TJ hugged Cyrus back, pulling him close, “Thank you Underdog, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that,” TJ mumbled into Cyrus’ hair before turning his attention back to Jurassic World. Little did TJ know that Cyrus knew _exactly_ how much TJ needed to hear that.

            They continued watching the movie and Cyrus tried not to get stuck in his thoughts. Cyrus really didn’t know what the protocol for this was. Should he come out to TJ now? Should he do it later tonight? He was too tired to make any concrete decisions, so he decided that he would just wait until the timing felt right. Instead, he focused on the fact that TJ smelled really good. Cyrus felt his eyes struggling to stay open as he stayed cuddled with TJ, relishing in the comfort of the movie, the low lighting, and yes, TJ.

            Cyrus felt himself slowly come back into consciousness. He could hear the end credits of the movie playing very quietly in the background, but he was more concerned about what was happening closer to him. TJ was humming Cyrus’ swing set song while softly combing through Cyrus’ hair with his hands. Cyrus couldn’t help but think that should mean _something_ , but he didn’t want to deal with what it could mean at the moment, so he nuzzled into TJ’s chest again

            “You up Underdog?” TJ asked quietly, shifting slightly.

            “Yeah, I’m awake. . . unfortunately,” Cyrus mumbled into TJ’s chest.

            “We could head upstairs. It is like 11:30 now. I think that’s an acceptable time to start heading to bed,”

            “But that feels so lame,” Cyrus complained. He didn’t want TJ to think he was lame.  
            “I don’t think it’s lame, I like to go to sleep around now anyway,” TJ reassured him, still playing with Cyrus’ hair.

            “Okay, let’s go,” Cyrus said, not moving.

            “Cyrus. If we’re going to go, you’ve got to move,” TJ said, and though Cyrus could not see his face, he knew TJ was smirking.

            “But I don’t _want_ to,” Cyrus said nuzzling closer to TJ’s chest. Should Cyrus do that? Probably not, they _were_ just friends, but he was too comfy to care.

            “I mean, we _could_ sleep down here, but do you really want to risk cavities? You can’t brush your teeth if you don’t move,” TJ said with a smirk.  
            That woke Cyrus up, he had a serious fear of the dentist, “Okay, I’m up! I don’t want to go to the dentist,” Cyrus shuddered as he untangled himself from TJ’s body and sat up, stretching his body out.

            “I thought that might work,” TJ said, chuckling to himself.

            “Shut up,” Cyrus said, gently hitting TJ’s shoulder.  
“Someone’s grumpy,” TJ said standing up, sounding amused.

            Cyrus stuck out his tongue at TJ and lifted his arms towards TJ, “Carry me upstairs?”

            TJ laughed, “Cyrus I’m not carrying you up the stairs, that could be dangerous,”

            “Fine,” Cyrus sighed before standing up and heading to his room, TJ trailing closely behind.

            Cyrus was laying on his bed, scrolling through InstaPic, when TJ returned from the bathroom, hopping onto the bed right next to Cyrus and getting settled in. When the were both ready, Cyrus turned off the lamp, engulfing them in darkness. Cyrus turned to face TJ, feeling brave in the dark, “I’m really happy that you’re in my life,” he whispered. He didn’t know if TJ was still feeling worried about the fact that he had come out, but Cyrus wanted to make sure TJ knew that he would always want him around.

            “Yeah?” TJ asked hopefully.

            “Yeah. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you,” Cyrus shrugged as best as he could while lying on his side.

            “I’m really happy you’re in my life too. You’ve helped me become so much happier, and more confident being myself,” Cyrus blushed at that and rolled onto his back, trying to fall asleep. They stayed like that for a while in silence, “Hey, Cyrus?” TJ asked quietly, surprising Cyrus. Cyrus had thought that TJ was asleep.

            “Yeah?”

            “What were you going to tell me before your mom called us for pizza?”

            Cyrus felt his heart rate increase. He knew that TJ would be supportive of him, he wasn’t worried about that. His heart was racing because he didn’t know what would happen next. He brought his hand up by his head, playing nervously with his pillow case, “I was going to tell you that, uhh,” Cyrus felt his throat close up, so he paused. TJ seeming to sense Cyrus’ hesitance, and surprised Cyrus by grabbing his hand to comfort him, “I was going to tell you that I’m gay,” Cyrus said quietly.

            TJ squeezed Cyrus’ hand reassuringly, running his thumb over the back of Cyrus’ hand, “I’m so glad that you felt comfortable enough to tell me. Why didn’t you say something when I told you?” Cyrus could imagine the confused look on TJ’s face as he asked that.

            “I didn’t want to take away from your moment,” Cyrus said.

            “You, Cyrus Goodman, are entirely _too_ thoughtful. But, thank you for listening to me, and for telling me. I’m really glad that we’re friends,” TJ said quietly, still rubbing the back of Cyrus’ hand.

            Cyrus felt his heart squeeze strangely at the word friends. He was happy that him and TJ were friends, he was. He just couldn’t help but wish they were more, “I’m really glad we’re friends too,”

            TJ yawned, letting go of Cyrus’ hand and rolling to his other side, facing away from Cyrus, “Goodnight Underdog, sleep well,”

            “Goodnight TJ, sleep tight,” Cyrus replied rolling on to his side so that his back was toward TJ, closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I now have more time to write, because I'm done with finals. So... there will now be new chapters every Sunday and Wednesday!
> 
> Man, I wrote the first draft for this chapter probably about a month ago, and it was super late at night, so it was... interesting to say the least. Let's just say that tired Kimberley is very enthusiastic about ideas. An actual quote from the original draft was "he was singing Cyrus' swingset song birchezzz" so you know... that was a thing. This is honestly one of my favourite chapters that I've written so far and I'm so glad that I finally get to share it with y'all.
> 
> I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! If you did please kudos/comment if you want to! They make me so happy! Please feel free to follow me on tumblr: @justkimberley   
> If you want to ask me questions or say anything to me, my ask box is always open!


	5. An Unknown Enigma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday morning of the sleepover and Cyrus finalizes his plans for the flowers after TJ leaves for tutoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am now doing updates twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, so if you missed the Wednesday update from this past week (Chapter 4) you should probably go check that out before you read this chapter!
> 
> Thank you to everybody who has read/commented/given kudos so far, it really means a lot to me!
> 
> Word Count:2536

            TJ woke up to light filtering into his room through his curtains, feeling very soft and very comfy. He was a little confused by the light, because usually his curtains kept the light out, but maybe he had forgotten to close them or something, he was not awake enough to care. He _was_ awake enough to know that it was Saturday though, so he decided to just ignore the light and snuggle into his blankets to go back to sleep. He started pulling the blanket up, but he realized that his blanket wasn’t moving like usual. The part of his blanket that was on his back wasn’t moving at all, _and_ it was a lot warmer than the part he was holding.

            Then TJ realized what was happening. He was at Cyrus’ house. Cyrus and TJ had a sleepover. They were in Cyrus’ bed. Cyrus’ curtains let light through. Cyrus was the heavy blanket on his back. Cyrus was spooning TJ. These thoughts hit TJ quickly, one at a time, and TJ felt his face heat up as he worked his way through them. Cyrus’ face was burrowed in TJ’s shoulders, and his arm was wrapped around TJ’s chest, and TJ didn’t really know what to do with that information. But he didn’t have problem with Cyrus cuddling him, and he didn’t want to wake Cyrus up, so he just stayed there to revel in the comfort of it all. TJ had already known that Cyrus was touchy, but the events of last night and this morning were making TJ realize that Cyrus was a lot cuddlier than he had thought before.

            TJ closed his eyes, feeling content, and tried to go back to sleep so he could relish in the comfort of Cyrus’ arms around him longer. Unfortunately, not even a minute after he closed his eyes, he realized that he needed to use the bathroom.

            He tried to slowly extract himself from Cyrus’ grip without waking Cyrus up, but the second he started to move, Cyrus tightened his hold and murmured in his sleep. TJ felt his face heat up as Cyrus pulled him closer and nuzzled into TJ’s back. Cyrus was deceivingly strong, it would seem. TJ really wanted to stay but, unfortunately, he also really needed to get to the bathroom. He stayed still for a few more moments and then started moving again once Cyrus loosened his grasp. TJ was almost completely out of the bed when Cyrus reached out and grabbed his arm, mumbling, “No, don’t leave,” TJ thought his heart might stop because of how adorable Cyrus was being.

            “Cy, I’ve got to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” TJ said quietly, hoping that it would convince sleep-Cyrus to let him go.

            Cyrus made a quiet groan of protest, but he did let go of TJ, and then started pouting in his sleep. TJ couldn’t help but think that Cyrus was the cutest human in the world, before he ran to the bathroom. He wanted to get back before Cyrus completely woke up so that he might wrap his arms around TJ again. TJ blushed at that thought… it turned out that he was also a lot cuddlier than he originally thought.

            Last night had been quite the eye opener for TJ. Cyrus had come out to him. That meant that there was at least a possibility that Cyrus could like him back. TJ knew that just because they were both gay it didn’t mean that they automatically liked each other, but it sure made it a whole lot more possible than it would have been if Cyrus was straight. TJ washed his hands and headed back to Cyrus’ room. Cyrus was still asleep, so TJ crawled into the bed beside him. As soon as TJ laid down, Cyrus’ arm reached out and pulled him in, humming happily and nuzzling his face into TJ shoulder blades. TJ was torn between exploding with happiness and falling back asleep, but the weight of Cyrus pressing into him was incredibly comforting, and he very quickly felt sleep take over his body again.

            When TJ woke up again, he immediately realized that Cyrus was no longer holding him. He frowned slightly when he realized that and opened his eyes to see if Cyrus was still in the room. Then he noticed that Cyrus beside him, seemingly panicking. “What’s wrong Underdog?” TJ asked, immediately concerned.

            “You! Awake! Sorry! I was… I was holding you and you were asleep! I was… taking advantage… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to,” Cyrus groaned out, clearly embarrassed. TJ wasn’t entirely sure what Cyrus was trying to say, but he was pretty sure it was related to the fact that Cyrus had been holding him.

            “Underdog, breathe. It’s okay,” TJ said, trying to reassure him, “I woke up earlier and I noticed we were spooning, it was comfy,” TJ finished, suddenly feeling guilty, if anything _he_ had taken advantage of Cyrus’ sleeping state to get more cuddles, “I’m sorry, I should’ve woken you up, I just let you keep cuddling me because it felt nice. You probably didn’t even want to… oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” TJ said, now embarrassed, trying to avoid eye contact with Cyrus.

            “You… we were… you’re okay with that?” Cyrus asked flustered.

            “With what?” TJ had no idea what Cyrus was asking.

            “Being the little spoon?”

            “Everyone wants to be the little spoon sometimes Underdog, its feels safe… secure,” TJ said, smiling. He felt less guilty now that he was pretty sure Cyrus didn’t have a problem with cuddling him, Cyrus had just been worried that he overstepped a boundary.

            “That’s true,” Cyrus said thoughtfully, “and sometimes I like being the big spoon,”

            TJ smiled at Cyrus, “So, are we going to keep talking about cuddling, are we going to cuddle some more, or are we going to make some breakfast… because _I_ am _starving_ ,” TJ asked as his stomach growled.

            Cyrus’ cheeks tinged pink at the ‘cuddle some more’ comment before saying, “I’m hungry too, let’s go make some pancakes,”

            They headed downstairs and set to work around the kitchen. Despite how Cyrus liked to say that he had no skills, he was actually quite skilled in the kitchen. He looked so comfortable when he cooked.

             TJ didn’t really help Cyrus with making the pancakes because he was too busy watching. Cyrus’ face had relaxed into a content, focused look as he measured the ingredients, mixing them, and putting the batter on the gridle to cook. Whenever Cyrus was focused, he scrunched his nose, and he bit his lip (in a different way than he did when he was nervous), and TJ thought it was the most adorable thing in the world.

            By the time they finished making and eating their pancakes, TJ had to head home. He had tutoring on Saturdays. When they were at the door saying goodbye, TJ couldn’t help but think about all of the cuddling they had done over the past day, “You know Underdog, I… uh, never mind,” TJ stopped himself, blushing. Maybe he would keep this thought to himself.

            “What is it?” Cyrus asked, looking concerned.

            TJ decided to just go for it, “I really liked cuddling with you… and if you are ever in the need of a cuddle buddy… I’ll always be up for it,” he finished. His face felt so warm that he thought he could probably fry an egg on it if he tried, but he wanted to tell Cyrus.

            TJ looked up at Cyrus and noticed that he was blushing too, “I really liked cuddling with you too. You know… when I wasn’t freaking out about it. So, if you… need a cuddle buddy, I’ll always be up for it too,” he finished, smiling up at TJ, cheeks still red.

            They just stared at each other for a while until TJ got a text from his mom, probably asking why he wasn’t home yet, causing them to snap out of whatever it was that they were doing. “I’ve got to go now, Underdog,” TJ said reluctantly.

            Cyrus bit his lip, it looked like he was trying to decide something, and before TJ could ask what he was thinking about, Cyrus jolted forward and wrapped his arms around TJ’s torso, nuzzling his head into TJ’s chest. TJ’s brain took a second to process what was happening before he enthusiastically wrapped his arms around Cyrus too. “Bye TJ. Maybe next time I can be the little spoon,” Cyrus said quietly, making TJ’s face become even warmer. Seriously… his internal temperature could probably rival the sun at the moment.

            “Definitely. I’ll see you later,” TJ said, letting go and smiling at Cyrus before walking out the door.

            “See you later TJ!” Cyrus called after him. TJ turned around to look at Cyrus as they waved to each other while he walked backwards away from Cyrus’ house. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning as butterflies filled his chest.

* * *

 

            The moment TJ left the house, Cyrus missed him. He felt kind of silly about missing TJ because they had literally just spent pretty much a whole day together, but he couldn’t help it. He always missed his friends after he spent time with them. It was weird, because he was an introvert, but he always felt like a part of him was missing when his friends left after they had a hang out.

            Cyrus spent the rest of his day doing homework and cleaning until he finished with everything he needed to do. He was lounging on his bed watching some YouTube, when his phone buzzed with a text notification from Judy’s Blooms reminding him that his flowers would be ready for pick-up on Sunday.

            Cyrus suddenly realized that he had no idea how he would give TJ the flowers. He knew that he was going to give TJ one blue rose and one other flower that reminded him of TJ everyday for the whole week. But how would he give them to TJ? Cyrus knew TJ’s locker combination, but if he put the flowers in TJ’s locker, that would make it obvious who his secret admirer was. Very few people knew TJ’s combination other than Cyrus. He would need to attach them to the outside of TJ’s locker, but how would he do that? Tape wasn’t pretty enough, and it might wreck the flowers. Then he realized that he would probably need to leave a note with the flowers, but what would he put on the note? Would he tell TJ what the flowers meant? Would he write it in his own handwriting? No, he would need to type it, so TJ didn’t recognize his writing. There were so many parts to this plan that he hadn’t even thought of before.

            Cyrus started by thinking about how he would get the flowers to TJ, because it seemed like the biggest problem. He could figure out what to put on the note after. Logically, Cyrus knew that Andi would probably be a good person to ask for help with this… but he wanted to keep it a secret from everyone. He decided to walk around the house in search of ways to attach two flowers to a locker… without tape. Cyrus walked down the stairs and saw a magnetic hook on the door that his mom used for hanging wreaths and was struck with inspiration. He ran to the kitchen, grabbed an extra magnetic hook (they came in packs of four), a keychain ring, some string, and two fake flowers his mom had (just to see if it would work), and ran the materials up to his room. He stuck the magnetic hook to the whiteboard that hung above his desk, placed the keychain ring on the hook, and then stuck the stems of the two flowers through the keychain. It looked pretty nice, surprisingly. Then he cut off a piece of the string and wrapped it around where the stems of the flowers crossed and punched a hole in a little piece of paper, threading the string through the paper before tying a knot to bring it all together. Cyrus was impressed by his ingenuity, the flowers actually looked pretty good, hung up like that. His plan was coming together nicely.

* * *

 

            Sunday morning came, and Cyrus woke up feeling energized. Today was the day he got the flowers! He had a lazy morning in with his parents, killing time until he got a text notification from Judy’s Blooms, telling him that his flowers were ready to be picked up. Cyrus grabbed a bag and his wallet and then jumped on his bike to pick up the flowers.

            Cyrus walked into the store and up to the counter, “Hi, I’m Cyrus Goodman, I have a flower order to pick up?”

            “Oh… so you’re the big spender?” the clerk asked looking surprised.

            Cyrus blushed, “Yeah…” he _was_ spending a lot on these flowers, but TJ was worth it. The clerk passed him the machine and Cyrus paid while the clerk went to grab them.

            “Here you are sir, I hope that whoever gets these appreciates them,” they had an amused look on their face, which was fair because it probably wasn’t often that you saw a middle schooler getting so many flowers, but they also seemed impressed.

            “Thanks… me too,” Cyrus said as he walked out of the store, bundle of flowers in his bag. He only had the first few days’ flowers because he wanted them to last, and if he had gotten all of them at once, the ones that he gave TJ at the end would look kind of gross.

            When Cyrus got home, he took his flowers to the downstairs fridge where they wouldn’t be disturbed. He had read that keeping them refrigerated would keep them from wilting. Then he headed up to his room to think about what he should put on the notes.

            He knew that he would give TJ a note each day, and that the note would say what the flowers meant, but he didn’t know how he would sign the notes. Saying ‘Your Secret Admirer’ didn’t feel original enough. And he definitely couldn’t just sign the notes with ‘Your Pal, Cyrus’. He wanted to sign them in a way that would be meaningful without giving away that it was him giving TJ flowers. Your impossible admirer? That didn’t really make sense. Your pining admirer? Your unrequited admirer? Those just sounded desperate, and that was _not_ the vibe Cyrus was going for. Your unknown enigma? Oh… that had a nice ring to it. Yeah, it sounded kind of pretentious, but Cyrus couldn’t bring himself to care… it also sounded really cool.

            He typed out the card for the Monday, writing the flowers’ names and meanings, and signing it as ‘Your Unknown Enigma’, before printing it off and putting it in his backpack. Then he put the materials for hanging TJ’s flowers into his backpack too, along with his homework. All he would have to do tomorrow was put the flowers into his bag and get to school early to set up TJ’s surprise before TJ got there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter was a whole bunch of set-up but I threw in some fluff at the beginning to keep it interesting! Next chapter, TJ will finally be getting some "gestures of affection". I hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> If you want to follow me on tumblr, my tumblr is: justkimberley . Feel free to talk to me or ask me questions on there! Also if people are having a hard time picturing what the flower hanging contraption will look like, just send me an ask, and I'll post a picture of it (I actually put so much thought into how the flowers would get onto the locker you have no idea).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading, please comment/kudos if you've liked it so far, they mean so much to me!


	6. Flower Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ gets flowers at his locker, and him and Cyrus watch a documentary after school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the halfway mark!  
> Thank you to everyone who has read/commented/kudos so far, it really means a lot to me!  
> Also! This fic was nominated for an Andi Mack Fanfic Award for "Best Underrated Fic" I'd like to thank whoever it was that nominated me, I am truly honored to be included in a category at all, let alone with so many fantastic authors.  
> If you want to vote for this fic in that category, the link for the voting poll is on https://andimackficawards.tumblr.com/  
> I'd also like to thank Theo for setting up the whole AMFA's, that is a whole bunch of work and she is amazing for doing it.
> 
> Word Count: 3084

            On Monday morning, TJ walked into the school and headed to his locker, feeling happier than he had in a long time. His sleepover with Cyrus on Friday had been a complete success, and he had finally told Cyrus that he was gay. Even though he still wasn’t officially out to anyone else, he felt better not having to keep that from his best friend. Tutoring on Saturday had gone really well, and he had gotten to play basketball on Sunday too… basically he had a great weekend.

            As he neared his locker, he saw that something was attached to the outside of it and couldn’t help but wonder what it was. When he finally reached his locker, he saw that the thing that was attached to it was two flowers attached by a magnetic hook and a key chain. He was impressed by the ingenuity of the design, whoever had put it there must have put a lot of thought into it, but he was also pretty sure that whatever boy had put this on his locker for their girlfriend would get in trouble for putting it on the wrong locker. TJ decided that he would check the note hanging from the flowers to see if he knew who they were supposed to go to. That way he could at least try to help the poor guy out. TJ reached out and flipped the note over carefully, he didn’t want to ruin the hard work of whoever had put it there, and immediately flushed red when he read the first line. The flowers were for him… his name was the first line.

_~TJ~_   
_Alstroemeria - Friendship_   
_Blue Rose - I can't have you, but I can't stop thinking about you_   
_~Your Unknown Enigma~_

            TJ didn’t know how to react. He had never gotten anything like this before. His thoughts were split three ways: he was very flattered that someone wanted to give him flowers, he was curious about who did this, and he was also honestly a little confused about what the note meant. He assumed that Alstroemeria and Blue Rose were the kinds of flowers that were attached to his locker, especially because, you know, one of the flowers looked like a rose… that was blue. But what were the ‘friendship’ and ‘I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you’ about? And what was an ‘unknown enigma’? Despite his confusion, he was, however, pretty sure that all of these were positive things.

            He was smiling to himself, staring at the flowers when Cyrus popped up in front of him, making him jump. “What’s got you smiling so wide?” Cyrus asked, smiling just as wide as TJ (he assumed, he couldn’t actually see his own face).

            TJ held up the flowers, smiling down at them as he blushed, “Somebody gave me flowers,”

            “Oh! Do you, uh, do you know who did it?” Cyrus asked, biting his lip. That confused TJ. Usually when Cyrus bit his lip, he was nervous or he was hiding something, but TJ didn’t really know what Cyrus would be nervous about.

            “No, it just says ‘your unknown enigma’,” TJ said, pausing briefly, looking at the card again before he looked up at Cyrus, “You have any idea what that means?”

            “Well, an enigma is a person or thing that’s mysterious,” Cyrus said thoughtfully, “So I’m guessing it means that whoever left those flowers is an unknown mysterious person that wants to give you flowers,” Cyrus said teasingly, bumping TJ’s shoulder.

            TJ blushed at that, he’d never gotten any gifts like this before and he wasn’t really sure how to deal with the attention. _And_ now he _really_ wanted to know who this ‘unknown enigma’ was. He couldn’t help but imagine the ‘what if it was Cyrus’ scenario. After all, Cyrus knew what enigma meant, right? But Cyrus was also just one of those people who knew random things, so he decided to put _that_ imagining at the back of his mind for now. It was too far fetched and would just lead him away from the real ‘enigma’. “What do you think the other stuff means?” TJ asked, showing Cyrus the note.

            Cyrus bit his lip as he read the note, “Do you, uh… do you remember when I told you about flower language? A couple weeks ago? Maybe, uh… maybe the person is communicating with you in flower language?” Cyrus said. TJ was once again confused about the lip biting, why was Cyrus so nervous? Did he have a test today or something?

            TJ did remember the conversation, but he didn’t really remember the specifics. He would have to look up this ‘flower language’ when he got home. TJ felt himself blush again as he realized the amount of dedication and effort this person had to have put in just for him. It looked like Cyrus was about to comment on TJ’s blush, and he didn’t really want to deal with that at the moment, so he quickly changed the subject while putting the flowers in his locker. He looked at the contraption on his locker door before deciding to leave it there, whoever made it should get their materials back. Cyrus and TJ kept talking about their weekends post-sleepover until the bell rang signaling that they needed to head to their classes, “See you at lunch, Underdog,”

            “See you at lunch TJ!” Cyrus said grinning as he walked away, turning around to wave at TJ one last time before TJ kicked himself into gear and started heading to class. TJ couldn’t help but grin and blush while he walked as he thought about the flowers sitting in his locker. He had always thought that more boys should get flowers. Someone must have had the same thought as him, or maybe they had heard him talking about it. Either way, they had decided that he was worthy of flowers. TJ had to admit it felt pretty good to be cared about enough to get a gift at all, let alone the gift of flowers. Not to mention the fact that one of them meant ‘I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you’. Yeah, it could be taken as creepy, but TJ was pretty sure that it just meant his ‘anonymous enigma’ had a crush on him, and he didn’t think that anyone had had a crush on him before, so it was kind of exciting.

* * *

 

            Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief as he walked towards his class and away from TJ. He would have to play it cooler if he wanted to keep this thing a secret. Tomorrow he would have to stay away from TJ’s locker while TJ got the flowers, if only to save himself from putting his foot in his mouth. He was already pretty sure that he had given TJ way too much information from himself, it was a miracle that TJ hadn’t figured it out already. TJ could usually read Cyrus like an open book. Well… everyone could read Cyrus like an open book – he was really bad at hiding his feelings, but that wasn’t the point. Cyrus had just really wanted to see TJ’s face when he got the flowers, and the slightly blown cover was totally worth it.

            Cyrus had watched from down the hall as TJ had approached the flowers with confusion and then watched the blush grow up TJ neck when he realized that the flowers were for him. And the blinding smile that TJ had for their entire conversation? Definitely worth it. Cyrus was so happy with the way that this was turning out. If he could make TJ smile like _that_ everyday, for the rest of his life, he would. TJ deserved to be happy, and Cyrus was just glad that he could play a small part in bringing more joy to TJ’s life.

* * *

 

            By lunch, news had spread to the rest of the group that TJ had a secret admirer. Cyrus assumed that Jonah had found out about TJ’s flowers in their first period class. Jonah was actually a surprisingly nosy person, and TJ _had_ been pretty blushy when Cyrus had left him that morning. Cyrus assumed that Jonah must have questioned TJ, found out, and then texted the group chat, telling everyone else (the only thing Cyrus knew for sure was that Jonah texted the group chat). So, at the moment, TJ was blushing into his hands while everyone in the group was asking him questions, and Cyrus? Well, Cyrus was just trying not to look too suspicious.

            “Who are the flowers from?” asked Marty.

            “What kind of flowers are they?” asked Andi, “They better not be orchids, orchids are too pretentious,”

            “Why did they give you flowers?” asked Buffy, she evidently did not know about TJ’s affinity for flowers.

            “Guys, guys, slow down with the questions, he can only answer one at a time!” Cyrus said, finally interrupting their stream of interrogation.

            TJ smiled at Cyrus graciously, “Okay… I don’t know who the flowers are from, all the note said was ‘your anonymous enigma’,” Andi looked like she wanted to butt in to say something but TJ just held up his hand to signal for her to wait, Jonah was meanwhile trying to sign everything to Libby as best as he could, “One of the flowers was a blue rose, and the other one was an alstroemeria or something like that, I agree, orchids are pretentious. And I don’t know why they gave me flowers. Maybe because I like flowers and they are a nice gift? Maybe they have a crush on me? Who knows? I sure don’t. Any other questions?” TJ sighed after answering the first barrage.

            “Not a question, well I guess kind of a question. They actually called themselves ‘your anonymous enigma’? That is more pretentious than orchids,” Andi said disbelievingly, while signing. Cyrus tried not to look offended while also trying to hold his tongue so he wouldn’t implicate himself as a suspect for TJ’s secret admirer.

            Cyrus watched TJ blush and look down at his food quickly, “I don’t know, I think it’s kind of sweet that they wanted to have a more special name than just secret admirer,” TJ said quietly, signing to Libby to the best of his ability. Cyrus had to physically stop himself from yelling ‘VINDICATION’.

            “Yeah, I think it’s pretty adorable that someone went through all of that effort for TJ,” Marty said, “Maybe he’ll even get a girlfriend out of it,”

            Cyrus felt himself flinch at the word girlfriend, and he saw TJ tense, “Yeah, maybe,” TJ said convincingly enough that the rest of the group believed him, but Cyrus knew, now more than ever, that a girlfriend was not what TJ wanted out of this. Cyrus reached over under the table and squeezed TJ’s hand to give him some reassurance that he was okay. TJ glanced at Cyrus and smiled, squeezing his hand back, letting Cyrus know that he was okay. The rest of the group had broken into little conversations now. Their interest had run out after TJ had provided them with everything he knew.

            TJ turned to Cyrus, “Hey, Underdog, do you want to come over and hang out after school? We could watch that documentary you were talking about last week,” TJ asked.

            “Yeah, definitely,” Cyrus replied, he blushed at the thought that TJ remembered that he had been talking about a documentary. They fell into easy conversation until the bell rang, forcing the group of friends to part ways.

* * *

 

            _Cyrus_ was waiting at _TJ’s_ locker this time, TJ noticed as he walked up to his locker at the end of the day. TJ also noted that the hook thingy that had held his flowers was gone, before opening his locker, “You got here fast, Underdog,” TJ said.

            “Well, I’m nothing if not punctual,” Cyrus said, and TJ felt a burst of affection for Cyrus rise in his chest. Cyrus was going to be the end of him one day, he was sure of it.

            “You are a lot more than just punctual Cyrus,” TJ said teasingly, smiling at Cyrus affectionately. He thought he saw a blush growing up Cyrus’ neck, but he couldn’t be sure. After all, it was pretty warm in the school today.

            “Thanks,” Cyrus replied quietly.

            TJ set about putting all of the things he would need for homework into his backpack before turning his gaze to the flowers on the top shelf in his locker. He didn’t want to squish them into his already very full backpack, so he zipped the pockets up and grabbed the flowers to hold while they walked, before closing up his locker. Smiling to himself as he did so. When he looked at Cyrus, he saw that Cyrus was watching him with an almost… proud? Look on his face. TJ had no idea what that was about, but he wasn’t too concerned about it at the moment. “Ready to go?” TJ asked, smiling at Cyrus.

            Cyrus shook his head, seeming to shake himself out of his thoughts, “Yup!”

            “What were you thinking about there, Underdog?” TJ asked Cyrus as they started walking out of the school.

            “Uhh, nothing really, I just zoned out a little bit. I had to get to school early today, so I’m a little tired,” Cyrus said apologetically.

            “Why did you have to be at school early?” TJ asked as they reached the sidewalk, heading for TJ’s house. Cyrus tripped as TJ asked the question. He would have fallen pretty hard too if it weren’t for the fact that TJ reached out and grabbed him before he could go too far. “Woah, Underdog, are you okay?” he asked, looking over Cyrus, checking for signs of pain. Cyrus face was bright red, and TJ felt bad that he was embarrassed, it wasn’t Cyrus’ fault that he was clumsy!

            “I’m uhh, I’m fine TJ, don’t worry. I just got distracted and tripped over my own shoe,” he said, turning to look at his feet while they continued walking.

            “So, why _did_ you have to get to school early?” TJ asked.

            “I uhh, had to talk to a teacher about a project that I had some questions about,” Cyrus said.

            TJ shrugged, “Makes sense.” They continued talking about their days as they headed to TJ’s house.

            TJ couldn’t help but watch Cyrus while he talked. TJ tried not to do it for too long, he didn’t want to trip or run into a pole (he had done both of those things on many separate occasions), but it was hard. Cyrus was the most beautiful and interesting person TJ had ever known.

            When they reached TJ’s house, he quickly threw his flowers into a vase before they headed to his basement to watch the documentary. TJ pulled up Netflix on the TV and searched for the documentary while Cyrus grabbed a blanket from the basket that they were kept in. When Cyrus returned to the couch, he looked at the TV where TJ had queued up the documentary. “Wait, you remembered which documentary I wanted to watch?” Cyrus asked incredulously.

            TJ felt himself blush, of course he remembered. He remembered pretty much everything that Cyrus said was important to him, “Of course I remembered, I wanted to watch it. When you were explaining it last week, it sounded really interesting,” TJ explained, only partially lying. It had sounded interesting, but that’s not really why TJ remembered it.

            Cyrus smiled wide, “The others never really think that the documentaries I want to watch sound interesting. I’m glad that I have you to watch them with,”

            TJ distracted himself from thinking too much about Cyrus’ words by pulling a corner of the blanket over his legs and pressing play on the documentary. Cyrus’ attention was immediately grabbed by the voice ringing through the speakers and the images crossing the screen. And TJ’s attention? That was immediately grabbed by Cyrus. TJ had no clue how Cyrus managed to make watching a documentary look like going on a rollercoaster, but he did. It left TJ in awe every time.

            The documentary had actually managed to pull TJ’s attention from Cyrus about ten minutes in, but about half-way through, TJ was distracted from it once again because he felt Cyrus watching him from across the couch. TJ turned to face Cyrus, meeting his eyes, “What’s up Underdog?” he asked.

            Cyrus’ cheeks seemed to tinge pink in the dark lighting of the basement, “You remember on Saturday… before you left. You said you’d always be up for cuddling? Did you, uhh, did you mean that?” Cyrus asked hesitantly, glancing down at his hands.

            TJ felt himself blush now too, “I, uhh, yeah, I did,” he said, very intelligently (his stupid mouth is moving faster than his brain).

            Cyrus nodded, “Good,” he mumbled before moving from where he had been lounging over to TJ’s side of the couch, gently flopping over and placing his head on TJ’s chest. TJ instinctively placed his arm around Cyrus, hugging him into his side. It felt right, being able to hold Cyrus so close to him. They stayed like that for the rest of the documentary, occasionally adding in little quips and commentary to it. Cyrus nuzzled close to TJ every once in a while, and every time TJ thought he might explode. He hoped that Cyrus wouldn’t notice how fast his heart was beating.

            When the documentary ended, they reluctantly untangled themselves from each other so that Cyrus could get home for supper. Once again, they were standing by a door, unwilling to say goodbye. They stood in silence for a moment, both waiting for the other to initiate leaving. This time TJ pulled Cyrus in for a hug, “Thanks for coming Underdog, I had fun,”

            “Thanks for watching it with me,” Cyrus said. They stood there hugging for a lot longer than they probably should have, both realizing this at the same time, and quickly letting go of each other. Cyrus wished TJ goodbye and started heading down the street while TJ watched him walk away. Cyrus turned around a waved to TJ before he turned the corner. TJ stared at the empty sidewalk for a few seconds, reminiscing in what it had felt like to hold Cyrus again, before closing the door and heading up to his room. He had some research to do on this so called, ‘flower language’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we have gotten to the point of flowers! I couldn't stop myself from throwing that Captain Holt reference in VINDICATION! These boys are so oblivious to each other... and it's only going to get more frustrating from here! I am seriously so excited for you guys to get to read the rest of it, so far I'm really liking where its going!
> 
> Please vote for Blue Roses for "Best Underrated Fic" in the AMFAs if you want, it would mean a lot to me, but I am up against a lot of wonderful other stories too, and it's all for fun, so just vote for whoever you think should win! The form is open until May 20, 2019 (I think). Go check out all the wonderful authors and pieces of writing that were nominated!
> 
> Also! I am at a wedding this weekend, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update on Sunday like usual. I'll try, but just know that I'll update as soon as I can (I'm not disappearing yet!)
> 
> Wow, that was a lot of notes, sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter, please comment/kudos if you want to, they really make my day. You can also follow me on tumblr/ask me questions there, my username is: justkimberley and my askbox is always open. I hope you have a wonderful day!


	7. What if it's a Girl?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ starts thinking about who his 'unknown enigma' could be and is hit by the devastating realization that they could be a girl. Can Cyrus console TJ about this without giving up his identity? We shall see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back from the wedding now so updates should go back to regular schedule!  
> Thank you to everyone who has read/commented/left kudos so far, it really means a lot to me.
> 
> Word Count:2824

            Cyrus ran into the school the next morning as fast as he could. He had slept in that morning, and he wasn’t able to get to there as early as he had the day before. He just hoped that he was still early enough to get the flowers on TJ’s locker without witnesses. He raced through the hallways, noticing that they were sufficiently empty, and started to relax a little bit. He would be fine. He was still here earlier than most people got to the school. When Cyrus reached TJ’s locker, he quickly looked around to make sure the hallway was empty before he pulled out the magnet and the flowers, attaching them to TJ’s locker as fast as he could. Then he pulled out the string and the note attaching them to the flowers as well.

            He took a breath of relief as he studied his handiwork. It looked pretty good considering how incredibly fast he had done it. Just as Cyrus was about to leave, someone cleared their throat behind him. Cyrus spun around, worry gripping his chest. He had been caught red handed. He couldn’t really explain his way out of this. He just hoped whoever was behind him wasn’t TJ. He was _not_ ready to explain himself TJ. Heck, he had thought that he wouldn’t _ever_ have to explain this to TJ. Cyrus managed to process all of these thoughts in the milliseconds that it took him to turn around and see who had caught him.

            Buffy was standing by the lockers on the other side of the hall with an amused look on her face, “What are you doing _here_ , Cy?” She asked, knowing smirk growing on her face.

            Cyrus felt his face heat up; he had never told the others about his crush on TJ, and he had wanted to keep the flowers a secret, but he had no idea how long Buffy had been standing there. She could have seen the whole thing or just him admiring his work, but he figured that the best option would be to tell her the truth. After all, Buffy could always tell when Cyrus was lying. “I’m… can we go somewhere else to talk about this? Please?” Cyrus asked, feeling antsy. The chances of TJ walking up and catching them were too high for his liking, and the amused look on Buffy’s face wasn’t exactly helping him feel calm either.

            Buffy’s face softened, “Sure Cy, lead the way.”

            Cyrus and Buffy walked in uncomfortable silence towards the cafeteria. Cyrus was trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say to Buffy, and Buffy? Well, Cyrus was pretty sure that Buffy was just trying not to ask too many questions before he was ready to answer them. When they finally sat down at a table, Cyrus took a deep breath to calm himself down, “I’m TJ’s secret admirer,” he said, exhaling while glancing up at Buffy.

            “Don’t you mean his… unknown enigma?” Buffy teased. Cyrus gave her an unimpressed look, “Well come on Cy, I had kind of figured that out when I saw you attach flowers to his locker,” she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

            Cyrus started laughing quietly, she had a point, but he froze as someone passed behind him and waited for them to pass. This was not something he wanted to spread around the school, “Tell me if you see the others coming okay? This is something that I’d rather keep between you and me for now,” he said nervously after the person had left their vicinity. Buffy nodded, agreeing with his wishes.

            “So… why _are_ you doing this?”

            Cyrus felt his blush return, “Because he deserves to feel special,” he mumbled quietly.

            “That is so adorable that I think I might hurl. But… that’s not _all of_ _it_ right? Not that I don’t agree with you, TJ is a pretty good guy, but there seems to be more to it than you wanting to make him feel special. Something’s telling me that there’s a little bit more here than you’re letting on Cy,” Buffy said looking sincerely at Cyrus.

            “I… I might also… like him,” Cyrus said quietly, staring at his hands. Buffy reached across the table and grabbed Cyrus’ hands in a reassuring manner, and Cyrus was hit with a sense of déjà vu.

            “Cyrus, it’s okay for you to like TJ. I think this whole secret admirer thing is a really nice way of letting him know how you feel about him,” she said, stroking the back of Cyrus’ hand.

            “Woah, hold up,” Cyrus said, taking his hands out of Buffy’s and leaning forward intensely, “He is _not_ going to find out that it’s me doing this, that’s why it’s a _secret_ admirer. You _can’t_ tell anybody,” he said seriously.

            “Okay Cyrus, breathe,” Buffy said. Cyrus hadn’t even realized that he had started breathing so quickly. Buffy waited while he took a couple deep breaths, “There we go, you’re okay. I won’t tell anyone Cy, don’t worry about that. I would never betray you like that. But I am wondering what the whole point of the flowers is if you aren’t even going to let TJ know that it’s you?”

            “I just want him to know that people care about him. He saw all of you guys last week being cute and couple-y together, and he said something about how he didn’t think he would ever have that,” Cyrus explained quietly, “He just looked so… down. So, I figured that I could do something like that for him, to show him that he means a lot to me. You know, without him knowing it’s me,”

            Buffy’s face softened, “You are too sweet for your own good Cyrus Goodman,” Buffy said smiling kindly at Cyrus, “I still think you should tell him though, have you seen the way he – wait, here comes Marty. We _will_ continue this later.” Buffy said seriously.

            “Do we have to?” Cyrus whined, pouting.

            “Yes, yes we do,” Buffy said, smirking to herself. Cyrus wasn’t totally sure that he wanted to continue this conversation, but it _did_ feel better having someone to talk to about this. He couldn’t wait to tell Buffy how adorable TJ looked when he got the flowers yesterday… even if her response would probably just be to mime gagging.

* * *

 

 _~TJ~_  
_Red Hyacinth – Playfulness, Sportiness_  
 _Blue Rose – I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you_  
 _I feel like I should explain… the meanings of the flowers are things that I associate with you or admire about you. You are such a great guy TJ, and you deserve to know how much you matter to people._  
 _~Your Unknown Enigma~_

            TJ felt himself blush as he read the note. He really didn’t think that there would be more flowers after yesterday. After all, who would care about him _that_ much? But it seemed that his ‘unknown enigma’ had more things that they wanted him to know.

             When Cyrus didn’t show up at TJ’s locker today like he had been hoping, he felt his good spirits drop a little bit. He wanted to talk with Cyrus about these new flowers (or just about anything… he really just wanted to talk to Cyrus), but he knew that Cyrus couldn’t always wait for him at his locker. TJ would just have to find the others after he had gotten his things for the day.

            While TJ sorted through his notebooks, putting the ones he needed in his backpack, his thoughts wandered to who his secret admirer might be. His first thought was, once again, Cyrus, but he knew that was _way_ too far fetched so he immediately discarded that idea and started going through other guys at the school that could be giving him flowers. He was almost at the end of the guys he knew in his grade when he was hit with the realization that his enigma could be a girl. And then he started feeling guilty. It probably was a girl. No one in the school even knew TJ was gay, except for Cyrus. That meant that even if TJ did figure out who she was, he could never care about her in the way that she deserved, and that made TJ feel even worse.

* * *

 

            Buffy, Marty and Cyrus were all joking around with each other when Cyrus saw TJ walk up. The look on TJ’s face today was _not_ the look Cyrus was hoping for. TJ looked… sad, _really_ sad. Why was TJ sad? Cyrus had gotten the flowers to him, and the note even said a little more than what the flowers meant. By all counts, TJ should be as happy right now as he was yesterday. But he wasn’t. TJ took a seat beside Cyrus, staring forlornly at the table. Before Cyrus could quietly ask what was wrong, Marty, ever the delicate one (not), said, “Yo, TJ! What’s got you looking so blue? No flowers today bro?” He had said it in a way that was meant to lighten the mood (Cyrus assumed), but it only caused TJ’s frown to deepen.

            “No, there were flowers, that’s not the problem. It’s no big deal,” TJ shrugged, staring at his hands. Cyrus made a mental note to talk to TJ about this later, because he really wanted TJ to be happy, and if the gifts that Cyrus was giving to him were making him sad, then Cyrus needed a new plan.

            “Alright man… no biggie,” Marty said only seeming partially convinced, but deciding to drop the topic anyway, “You guys have joint practice tonight, right?” he asked gesturing to Buffy and TJ who both nodded before the conversation diverged into sports talk until the bell rang.

* * *

 

            When TJ reached his locker at lunch, he saw that the magnetic hook system was still attached to the outside of his locker, and it reminded him about the flowers and his possible admirer. He sighed as he opened his locker to get his lunch.

            “Hey, TJ,” Cyrus said quietly, out of nowhere, making TJ jump.

            “Jesus, Underdog, you scared me,” TJ said, putting his hand on his chest while Cyrus giggled, “It’s not funny,” TJ pouted.

            “Sorry, it’s just… normally I’m the one getting scared by other people. It’s nice to be on the other side for once,” Cyrus said, smiling sincerely at TJ. TJ chuckled fondly at that; Cyrus really was adorable. TJ started walking towards the cafeteria, Cyrus trailing behind him, when suddenly Cyrus called out, “Wait!”

            TJ paused and turned around to look at Cyrus questioningly, “What?” TJ asked, imitating Cyrus’ tone.

            “Why were you so sad this morning? Did you not like the flowers that you got or something?” Cyrus asked hesitantly, shuffling his feet.

            TJ watched Cyrus’ nervous behaviour, trying to figure out where it was stemming from while he also thought about what he should say to Cyrus so that no one else would know why he was so upset, “No, it… it wasn’t that I didn’t like the flowers, I liked the flowers. It’s just… something related to that thing I told you on the weekend,” TJ said cryptically, hoping Cyrus would understand what he meant.

            Cyrus furrowed his eyebrows before his eyes suddenly widened in understanding, mouth forming a little ‘o’, “Do you want to go to the swings? We can talk about it out there. Only if you want, of course,” Cyrus asked sincerely.

            TJ considered this for a second before deciding that it would be a good idea. He needed to talk through these thoughts with someone logical. Not to mention, any extra time with Cyrus was a good thing to have. “Yeah, let’s go do that,” he said, changing his course and heading to the park instead of the cafeteria.

* * *

 

            TJ was sitting quietly beside Cyrus on his usual swing, looking down at his hands. Cyrus was beside him, watching him quietly, trying not to push him to speak before he was ready. But Cyrus was never really known for his patience, and he could only wait so long, especially because TJ really seemed to be upset about something. Cyrus just wanted to help him feel better as fast as he could, “TJ… what’s wrong?” he asked.

            TJ took a deep breath before looking at Cyrus, “What if the person giving me flowers is a girl?” he asked sadly.

            Cyrus felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He had never thought about that being a problem. He also had no idea how to console TJ about this _without_ letting him know that it was Cyrus giving him the flowers. He took a few moments to think about what to say before slowly starting, “What if they are a _boy_ though? You can’t know for sure. The notes are typed, so it’s not even like you could base it off of that. It _could_ be a boy,” Cyrus finished, biting his lip, trying to convince TJ without implicating himself.

            TJ shrugged, “It _could_ be a boy… but what if it _is_ a girl? I can’t reciprocate her feelings! I’d feel so guilty that she’s putting all of this effort into me, and I can’t return it the way that she wants. And… if it is a boy, does that mean he knows that I’m… you know. I’m not ready for other people to know that about me yet,” TJ finished quietly. This was clearly causing him a lot of inner turmoil.

            “TJ… two things. One – just because someone is nice to you and gives you gifts, doesn’t mean that you owe it to them to feel the same way. If it is a girl, she would probably be pretty understanding about it if you just said that you didn’t feel the same. Two – if it is a boy, he… uh, he probably doesn’t know that you’re gay. The blue rose means ‘I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you,’ right? That could be a gay boy thinking he has a crush on a straight boy, you know?” Cyrus said, hoping that his words would help TJ feel a little better. The thing about the blue rose was true, it _had_ been one of Cyrus’ original reasons for choosing it (along with the whole don’t want to ruin their friendship thing).

            TJ sat quietly, taking in all of the information that Cyrus had just given him, “I guess you’re right,” he said slowly, “I don’t owe it to them to like them back, and it _could_ be a guy. I just feel guilty about getting these flowers without knowing anything about who they’re from, or being able to tell them how much I appreciate them,”

            Cyrus took a moment to think about his next response. He was walking on thin ice here, “Well… the person is probably just doing it to show you that you mean something to them… but if you wanted to tell them how much you appreciated the flowers, maybe you could write a note? And put it onto the uhhh, the hook-thing that they attach to your locker?” Cyrus had to stop himself from calling the hook-thing the ‘flower master 3000’ (he had named it last night while he was writing TJ’s note).

            TJ’s eyes lit up, “Thank you Underdog, that is the best idea!” he exclaimed, “Maybe I could even ask them some questions and get to know them better,” he said thoughtfully to himself.

            Cyrus didn’t know how to feel about getting asked questions, but he didn’t want to steer TJ closer towards him by saying that he shouldn’t ask questions, so he decided to keep his mouth shut, “Yeah, you could do that,” he replied.

            TJ turned his head towards Cyrus, and looked at him sincerely, “Thank you for talking this through with me Cyrus,” Cyrus felt his cheeks heat up when TJ said his name. TJ rarely ever said Cyrus’ real name, “I really needed someone to talk to. You are the best friend that anyone could ask for,”

            Cyrus felt his stomach sink. Friend. Cyrus needed to remember that they were just friends, “No problem TJ,” he said, standing up to head back to the school. The bell was going to ring soon. Before Cyrus could walk too far away, he was stopped by a hand on his wrist. Cyrus turned to look questioningly at TJ before he was engulfed in a tight hug. TJ’s arms were wrapped around Cyrus and his head was resting on Cyrus’ shoulder. Cyrus took a second to respond before he wrapped his arms around TJ, just as tightly.

            “I’m so glad I have you in my life,” TJ said quietly.

            “Me too,” Cyrus said, feeling butterflies in his stomach at TJ’s words and patting TJ’s back a couple times before they broke their hug and headed back to the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Buffy and Cyrus' friendship so much, they are so good to each other.
> 
> Don't forget to vote for me in the AMFAs if you want to, Blue Roses nominated in the category of 'best underrated fic'! The voting information is on @andimackficawards page on tumblr!  
> And if you want to follow me on tumblr or send me asks or whatever, my tumblr is: justkimberley  
> My askbox is always open!
> 
> Thank you all for reading, please leave kudos/comments if you want to, they make my day!


	8. He's a Boy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ finds out that his enigma is a boy, and now he's even more determined to figure out who it is. Cyrus is pretty sure that TJ's catching on to him, so he enlists the help of Buffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading/commenting/leaving kudos so far, it really means a lot to me! I'm glad that you're all enjoying it!
> 
> Word Count: 2532

            When Cyrus got home after school, the first thing he did was run up to his room to read the note that TJ had left for him. He hadn’t read it at school because he wanted to make sure that he grabbed it as fast as possible after TJ had left for basketball practice so that he wouldn’t get caught. Cyrus sat on the edge of his bed and carefully pulled the note out of his bag.

_~Unknown Enigma~_  
_Thank you so much for the flowers, they really mean a lot to me._  
 _I just want to know, why are you doing this for me, of all people?_  
 _And also, can you please tell me if you are a girl or a boy? I can’t really explain why I need to know, but I promise it’s not for a homophobic reason._  
 _Your gifts have made me really happy, thank you._  
 _~TJ~_

            Cyrus felt his heart swell with happiness. He knew that the flowers had made TJ happy, but having written proof made Cyrus feel giddy. Cyrus let out a deep sigh of admiration. He really didn’t think he could like TJ any more than he did now. Cyrus decided to set to work on his note for tomorrow before his homework, he didn’t think he’d be able to concentrate until the note was done.

* * *

 

_~TJ~_  
_Protea King – Courage_  
 _Blue Rose – I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you_  
 _I’m glad you like the flowers! I’m doing this for you, because I think you are an incredible guy who doesn’t see how amazing he is. I know that you put off the confident basketball captain persona, but I can’t help but feel like you don’t know how amazing you really are._  
 _As for your other question, I am a boy._  
 _~Your Unknown Enigma~_

            TJ read the note over and over again, feeling the biggest grin he had ever had rise on his cheeks. It’s a boy! It’s a boy! TJ didn’t have to feel guilty about not being able to reciprocate the feelings now! Of course, at the moment, TJ really liked Cyrus. But he figured he could maybe like another boy… especially if that boy was kind enough to give him flowers. Not to mention… the fact that his admirer was a boy made it even more likely that Cyrus could be his admirer. TJ _had_ really tried to stamp down that idea for the past couple of days because it seemed so impossible, but now… now he wasn’t so sure. He really didn’t want to get his hopes up too high, but the notes, the thoughtfulness, and the fact that his admirer was a boy… along with all of the other little things (like Cyrus knowing the answers to pretty much any question TJ had asked about his flowers) really pointed to the possibility of his admirer actually being Cyrus.

            “Hey TJ!” Cyrus said, suddenly appearing at his side, making TJ jump and jarring him out of his thoughts.

            “Jesus! Hey Underdog. Since when do _you_ take so much pride in scaring me to death?” TJ asked looking at Cyrus whose eyes were shining with pride and amusement.

            “Probably since I could actually do it,” Cyrus replied teasingly, “So, more flowers today?” he asked looking down at the note that TJ hadn’t even realized he was still holding.

            TJ blushed and held the note out for Cyrus to read, watching Cyrus carefully as he did so, “Look,” TJ said pointing at the second last line, “He’s a boy! My enigma is a boy! Isn’t that so exciting? I can’t believe it,” TJ whispered in awe, still watching Cyrus to see if he would have any sort of reaction that would implicate him as TJ’s ‘unknown enigma’.

            Cyrus showed no surprise when TJ told him that his admirer was a boy. Which was a little bit surprising, but also could mean two things. Either Cyrus already knew that TJ’s admirer was a boy (either it _was_ Cyrus or Cyrus knew who was doing it and wasn’t telling him) or Cyrus strongly suspected that the admirer was a boy. “That’s great TJ! You don’t have to feel guilty anymore!” Cyrus said, smiling.

            “Yeah! Although… this has made me even more curious as to who it could be,” TJ said.

            Cyrus bit his lip nervously, “Has it?” he asked, attempting to be nonchalant, but his voice cracked as he said it.

            TJ felt some satisfaction at Cyrus’ lip bite and voice crack. Cyrus must know something, or else he wouldn’t have been biting his lip for the past three days every time TJ got flowers, “Yeah, it has. Do you have any idea who might be giving me flowers?” TJ asked subtly, trying not to let Cyrus know that he was suspicious of him.

            Cyrus let out an awkward chuckle, “Umm, nope! No idea who’s leaving the flowers… Anyway, I’ve got to get to English, so I’ll see you at lunch, okay? Okay, bye see you later,” Cyrus rambled out before practically sprinting down the hall.

            “See you later Underdog,” TJ yelled after him, just as Cyrus turned the corner. Oh, Cyrus definitely knew something. That was not the behaviour of an innocent man. Cyrus didn’t even have English in first period. Cyrus was either _the_ guy leaving him flowers and lovely notes every day or he _knew_ who was. Either way, Cyrus knew something, and TJ was going to figure out what that was.

* * *

 

            “Hey, TJ. Looking sharp my man,” Jonah said, greeting TJ with a bro-hug.

            “Hey Jonah,” TJ replied absentmindedly, “I’ve got to ask you something,” TJ said turning his full attention to Jonah. He figured he might as well ask Jonah if what he was thinking could be possible.

            Jonah looked at TJ a little apprehensively and let out a nervous chuckle, “Okay… what’s up?” he asked hesitantly.

            “Do you think that it could be possible that Cyrus likes me back?” TJ asked quietly so that no one would overhear.

            Jonah’s face morphed immediately from calm and happy into protective and angry, “Would you have a problem with it if Cyrus liked you – ” Jonah whispered harshly until he cut himself off in the middle of his sentence when he processed what TJ actually said, face morphing back into a goofy grin, “Wait, you like Cyrus?”

            TJ blushed, “I thought you already knew that… I feel like I’m pretty obvious about it,”

            “Dude, you underestimate how oblivious I can be. So… you like Cyrus huh?” Jonah asked quietly, wiggling his eyebrows.

            “Shut up!” TJ whispered harshly, lightly punching Jonah’s arm as he felt his cheeks heat up.

            “Okay, okay, chill. What was your original question? I kind of forgot with all of this new information to take in,” Jonah said somewhat sheepishly.

            “Do you think there’s a possibility that Cyrus might like me back?” TJ asked, “I know that Cyrus is gay too, but do you think that I might have a chance?”

            Jonah took a minute to ponder the question, “I… don’t really know man. I’m not so good with the whole ‘other people’s feelings’ thing… I’m still not quite sure how I ended up with Libby,” Jonah said apologetically, “What’s brought this on?”

            TJ chewed on the inside of his lip, it was a nervous habit of his, “I think that Cyrus might be the one leaving me flowers,”

            “Ohhh, I see. That would actually make sense,” Jonah said, eyes widening.

            “So, Cyrus _is_ the one leaving me flowers?” TJ asked excitedly.

            Jonah held up his hands, “Woah, slow down there, champ. I have no idea who is giving you the flowers. And I don’t want to get your hopes up either. It _is_ possible that it could be Cyrus giving you those flowers, but it _could_ also be someone else,” Jonah said logically.

            “Do you think you could help me figure out who it is? Please Jonah, I’m begging you. It’s driving me crazy not knowing,” TJ said, giving Jonah puppy-dog eyes.

            Jonah laughed, “Okay, puppy-dog eyes do not work when they come from you. I will help you though, I want to know who’s doing this too. Just tell me what to do,”

            “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are a beautiful wonderful human.” TJ said, sitting down while Jonah blushed, “But please don’t tell anyone else about this okay?” TJ asked.

            “You have my word,” Jonah said, assuring TJ and sitting down just as the teacher called the class to attention.

* * *

 

            “Buffy, I need your help,” Cyrus whispered to her across the table during first period, after the teacher had introduced what they were doing for the day. Today was just a work period, and although Cyrus was usually very vigilant about using his time well, today he was not in the mental space to work on this project. Besides, he _had_ already started it.

            Buffy gave Cyrus a concerned look, “Is everything okay?”

            “Thank you for your concern, but I should probably tell you right now its not anything super serious,” Cyrus rushed out. Buffy snorted and rolled her eyes before gesturing for Cyrus to continue, “I’m pretty sure that TJ is catching on to me about the whole giving him flowers thing,”

            “Okay… I’m not really seeing the problem here,” Buffy dead-panned.

            Cyrus threw up his arms in exasperation and the teacher gave him a look, he smiled apologetically at her and turned back to Buffy. “TJ can’t know that I’m giving him flowers, or he’ll know that I like him,” Cyrus explained quietly.

            “Once again, I don’t see the problem. Cy… I’m pretty sure TJ likes you, would it be so bad if he knew that you liked him too? You should see the way he watches you when you’re not looking. It’s sickeningly adorable,”

            Cyrus blushed, “How can you be so sure that he likes me?” Cyrus asked doubtfully, looking down at his book.

            Buffy reached across the table and grabbed one of Cyrus’ hands, “Cyrus, you are so much more amazing than you give yourself credit for. Anyone would be lucky to have you, and I think that TJ knows that. He talks about you all the time when you’re not around, and he always pays the closest attention to your stories when we’re all together as a group. Cy… I know you don’t want to believe it, because you’re worried about false hope or something, but I think you should tell him how you feel,” Buffy finished sincerely.

            Cyrus felt a smile break out over his face, “Thanks Buffy. Okay, I’ll _think_ about telling him. But in the mean time, can you help me keep this secret a little bit longer? I have a feeling that TJ’s going to stake out his locker or something because he seems to be getting very intent on finding out who’s been leaving him flowers,”

            “Fine, I’ll help you,” Buffy said reluctantly, smile growing on her face, “But you owe me baby taters for a week! And, let the record show that I think you should tell him,”

            Cyrus let out a good-natured sigh, “Alright, fine. I can’t get you taters today though, I have to pick up the next order of flowers after school before the store closes,” he said.

            Buffy looked at Cyrus incredulously, “How much did you spend on this thing?”

            Cyrus blushed down at his book, “More than I’d like to admit,”

* * *

 

            “So, TJ, more flowers today? You seem like you’re in a better mood than yesterday,” Marty said from across the table at lunch. Everyone was sitting in their usual spots. Marty and Buffy, Jonah and Libby, and TJ and Cyrus were sitting in pairs, as always, and Andi was sitting in between Libby and Cyrus. TJ found it comforting how they always sat in the same spots, at the same table, everyday. Their table was at the far corner of the cafeteria where almost no one could hear them. It felt like they had their own little club.

            “Yeah, this time it was a… protea king? I think and then another blue rose,” TJ said smiling down at his lunch. His ‘unknown enigma’ thought that he was courageous, TJ liked that someone (Cyrus?) thought he was courageous.

            “Why so many blue roses?” Libby signed.

            TJ blushed down at his plate, “The blue rose stands for ‘I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you,” TJ replied while signing.

            Marty’s eyes lit up at that, “Oh, so this girl definitely has a crush on you,” he teased.

            TJ stiffened at those words, and he saw Jonah and Cyrus freeze too. TJ felt Cyrus’ hand slip into his and give it a light squeeze, just like last time Marty had said something like that. TJ squeezed back and took a deep breath, “Actually, he’s a boy,”

            “Oh, that’s too bad man, I guess you won’t get a girlfriend out of it,” Marty said seriously, Buffy gently (not so gently) pinched his leg under the table (TJ assumed), “Ow! What? What did I say wrong?”

            TJ took a deep breath and squeezed Cyrus’ hand one more time for reassurance, and then let go so that he could sign, “Actually, I’m hoping to get a boyfriend out of this,” TJ said, loud enough for the whole table to hear, but quiet enough that the rest of the cafeteria wouldn’t hear, while signing.

            TJ slipped his hand back into Cyrus’ grip, which was loose from the shock of TJ coming out to everyone, before Cyrus snapped out of it and reassuringly squeezed TJ’s hand again.

            Marty’s eyes went wide, “Oh, shoot, man. Sorry for assuming,” he said, looking a little guilty.

            Andi smiled at Libby, who smiled right back at her at this revelation. Buffy did not look surprised, but she did look impressed with TJ for saying it. TJ had always assumed that Buffy knew what was going on with him. Buffy was too perceptive for her own good sometimes. And Cyrus and Jonah were looking at TJ with incredibly proud looks on their faces.

            “Well… that feels good to get off my chest. Anyways, how was everyone else’s day?” TJ asked to change the subject. He was feeling uncomfortable with all the attention on him.

            As the group began talking about their days, TJ realized that Cyrus was still holding his hand, and it didn’t seem like he was planning on letting go any time soon. TJ squeezed Cyrus’ hand and turned to smile at him, feeling butterflies in his chest. Cyrus squeezed TJ’s hand back and smiled proudly at him, causing the butterflies in TJ’s chest to double… or maybe triple. TJ had never been more thankful to be right handed before… because Cyrus was left handed. Having opposite dominant hands was surprisingly useful when it came to holding hands. It meant that TJ and Cyrus were able to hold hands all throughout lunch without any of their friends noticing, while still finishing their lunches in time for their next period. And, even though TJ knew that it was technically platonic, he still felt like it might have meant something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like TJ and Jonah would have a really good friendship... you know? Also... I totally looked up the scene of TJ doing math to figure out what hand he wrote with because I remembered people saying that TJ and Cyrus had opposite dominant hands so they could hold hands while they did schoolwork so... yeah.
> 
> Don't forget to vote for me in the AMFAs if you want to, Blue Roses was nominated in the category of 'best underrated fic'! The voting information is on @andimackficawards tumblr page!
> 
> If you want to follow me on tumblr or send me asks or see pictures of the flowers that TJ's been getting, you can! My tumblr is justkimberley and I've been posting pictures of the flowers that TJ's been getting after each update that had flowers! Also my askbox is always open!
> 
> Thank you all for reading, please leave kudos/comments if you want to, they make me so happy! Have a great day!


	9. Friendship, the Bond that Helps you Trick your Friends!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ, more determined now than ever, recruits Jonah to help him find out who his 'unknown enigma' is. Unbeknownst to either of them, Cyrus enlists the help of Buffy to keep his identity a secret for even longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading so far and for the wonderful comments/kudos that you have been leaving! I'm so happy that you are all enjoying it so far!
> 
> Word Count: 3262 (oh my god I didn't realize it was that long)

            After school, Cyrus headed straight to Judy’s Blooms to pick up his flowers with a new note from TJ weighing heavily in his pocket. It felt like the note was calling out for him to open it while he waited for the clerk to bring the flowers out; he just couldn’t _stop_ thinking about it, but he knew that the flower shop was not the place to read it. When the clerk finally reappeared with the flowers, Cyrus paid for them as quickly as possible and headed home, hoping that he wouldn’t see anyone that he knew… or anyone that would ask him either a) who the flowers were for, or b) why he, a middle school boy, had so many flowers.

            It seemed that luck was on Cyrus’ side (for once), and he made it home without being seen by anyone who would wonder what he was doing. He quickly put the flowers where they needed to go before heading up to his room where he could finally read TJ’s note in peace.

_~Unknown Enigma~_  
_You seem to know me really well, have we talked before?_  
 _I’m sorry, I know that you probably want to remain anonymous, but I really want to know who you are. Thank you again for the flowers, by the way. It’s nice knowing what other people like about me. You seem to see things in me that I can’t see in myself._  
 _~TJ~_

            Cyrus read the note over again, smiling to himself and thinking about how he would reply to the note. He wanted to answer TJ’s question, but he didn’t want TJ to figure out that he was the one leaving the flowers _and_ answering the question would narrow down the possible admirers _without_ eliminating Cyrus. He _also_ knew (ok maybe he didn’t _know_ , but he _was_ pretty sure) that TJ was starting to suspect him as the admirer. But, then again, Cyrus really didn’t want to lie to TJ either. And, there _were_ a lot of people that TJ talked to, so it wasn’t like answering the question would _really_ narrow it down that much, right? Cyrus let out a frustrated sigh. He needed Buffy to come over so he could figure out what to say. Well, that and so he could ask her for a huge favour.

* * *

 

            “I don’t think that you should be the one waiting by your locker. If the guy who’s doing it sees you, he’ll just wait to do it when he knows you won’t be there, like during class or something,” Jonah reasoned from across the couch. TJ and Jonah were sitting in TJ’s basement, trying to come up with a plan to catch the guy who was leaving TJ flowers.

            TJ sighed, “I guess you’re right,” he conceded, “It’s just… I wanted to be the one who found out who he is,”

            “I mean, TJ, I _promise_ that I’ll tell you as soon as I find out who it is. I just think that we have better chances of finding them if _I’m_ the one waiting around,” Jonah said logically.

            “Okay, fine. But you’ve got to get to the school super early, and you can’t be too suspicious, and you have to tell me as soon as you know who it is… please?” TJ instructed, adding ‘please’ to the end so that Jonah knew that TJ really _was_ grateful that he was doing this.

            Jonah laughed quietly when he saw how stressed TJ was about this, “You have my word,” Jonah said sincerely, crossing his heart, “Now, can we play Smash like you promised we would? I want to see if I can beat you completely undefeated this time,” Jonah said, smirking at TJ.

            “Oh, you are so on, the _only_ reason that you beat me last time was because _Cyrus_ was _also_ here, and _I_ was _distracted!_ ” TJ said grabbing the remote and setting up the tv so that they could play.

            Jonah laughed, “That? That was terrible trash talk, but is was also _really_ adorable, so I’m gonna let it slide, just this once. You lovesick baboon,” Jonah said, making TJ blush.

            “Shut up,” he groaned, pushing Jonah over in retaliation, “That’s enough smack talk, we’ll let our playing speak for us,” TJ finished as the character menu popped up.

* * *

 

            “Cyrus, you didn’t need to bribe me with snacks to get me to do this for you. I would have done this for nothing. Besides, you already agreed to give me a week of free baby taters for helping you, so this is all just extra stuff,” Buffy said gesturing to the bag between them after Cyrus explained his plan. They were sitting on the couch in his basement with the bag, which was full of goodies, separating them.

            Cyrus was about to argue that the treats had been for them to eat while they were planning, but he knew that wasn’t completely true… after all, over half of it was full of Buffy’s favourite snacks. He smiled sheepishly at her, “I know, I just feel bad asking you to get to the school so early,”

            “I mean, it _is_ pretty early, but it’s nothing that I haven’t had to do before,” Buffy said, leaning forward to peek into the bag, “Oh! You got Scooby Doo gummies; those are my favourite!” She exclaimed, pulling out a packet and ripping it open before sorting the colours in her hand. Buffy always ate her Scooby Doo gummies the same way. She would separate the colours first, and then she would eat the colours in order of her least to most favourite (the blue ones were always last).

            Cyrus grinned, watching his friend eat her favourite snack. It was nice to know that some things really didn’t change, “Of course I got them, I knew that they would… sweeten the deal,” he said grinning.

            Buffy threw a cushion at him from across the couch with her free hand, “That, was a terrible pun,” she said, fighting back a smile.

            “You know you love me, even with my puns,” Cyrus replied, shrugging.

            “Yes… unfortunately,” Buffy said, smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

            “Anyways… so, tomorrow you will stop by my house before school to get the flowers, the note, and the hook. Then I will leave exactly five minutes after you leave. By the time you are done with the flowers, I will be walking in the front doors and you will meet me there. Then we will go straight to the cafeteria, avoiding TJ’s locker hallway. Sound like a plan?” Cyrus asked, taking this very seriously.

            “Yes Cyrus, we’ve already gone over this like three times,” Buffy said exasperated.

            “I just want to make sure it goes well,” Cyrus said quietly.

            Buffy grinned at him and got up from her side of the couch to give him a hug, “I know, and I think it’s very sweet. But I still think that you should tell him it’s you,” she said, stepping back from the hug to look Cyrus in the eyes so that he could tell she was being serious.

            “I know… I’m just… scared,” he said quietly, “I don’t want to ruin this friendship… he’s one of my best friends, I don’t know what I’d do if he left,” Cyrus finished, looking at the floor.

            “I know Cyrus, I know,” Buffy said, patting him on the back a couple times before returning to her spot on the couch, “So… are we going to watch Step Up like you promised we could, or are you just going to keep stalling so that we won’t have time to watch it before I have to go home?” Buffy asked, grinning at Cyrus.

            Cyrus grinned back at her, “Darn it, you ruined my plan,” he joked before grabbing the remote and setting up the movie. “Buffy?” he asked quietly as the movie started playing.

            “Yeah?” she asked.

            “Thanks for being here for me, it really means a lot,”

            “Anything for you Cyrus,” Buffy said, turning and smiling at him, “Anything for you,” she repeated quietly before turning back to the movie.

* * *

 

            TJ sat anxiously in the cafeteria while he waited for Jonah to come back and tell him who was leaving the flowers. He was checking his phone every ten seconds, bouncing his leg, and tapping his fingers incessantly on the table as he waited. Surely Jonah should know who it is by now, right? He glanced up from his phone again, swiveling his head around to see if Jonah was coming yet when he saw Cyrus walk in through the front doors and immediately start looking around for someone. Before TJ could even begin to wonder who Cyrus might be looking for, Buffy walked up, looking slightly disgruntled, but still fine. She and Cyrus started talking about something, but they were too far away for TJ to tell what it was. Just as they got close enough for TJ to see their facial expressions, Jonah abruptly sat down, pulling TJ’s attention away from them, “There’s been a slight… bump in the plan,” he said.

            TJ quickly turned his whole body to face Jonah, “What happened, did he not show up?”

            “Yes and no, in a way,” Jonah said cryptically, TJ gave him an exasperated look, “He had someone else set up the flowers for him,” he explained.

            “Well, who was it?” TJ asked impatiently. Why was Jonah being so cryptic?

            “It was – wait here come Buffy and Cyrus, I’ll tell you in first,” Jonah said quickly.

            “Why can’t you just tell me now?” TJ complained.

            “It’s complicated,” was all Jonah had to offer, shrugging. TJ was about to protest when Cyrus and Buffy reached the table.

            “What’s complicated?” Cyrus asked, plopping down next to TJ.

            “Astrophysics,” Jonah replied quickly, prompting the whole table to look at him in confusion.

            “Oookay then,” Cyrus said turning to TJ, “Hey did you get anymore flowers today?” he asked. TJ was beginning to think that maybe Cyrus wasn’t his enigma. After all, he had watched Cyrus walk into the school _after_ his flowers had already been put in place _and_ he was asking if TJ got more flowers today. Surely Cyrus would know that TJ got more flowers if he was the one giving TJ flowers. But, then again, Cyrus _could_ be acting, and Jonah _did_ say that someone who was _not_ his enigma put the flowers up today… TJ’s brain was hurting just trying to think his way through this.

            “Umm, I don’t know, I haven’t gone to my locker yet,” he replied, “Want to come with me Underdog?” he asked.

            Cyrus shrugged and then smiled up at TJ, “Sure,” and together they stood up from the table, heading off towards TJ’s locker, conversation flowing easily as always.

            When TJ reached his locker, he immediately picked the flowers up from their spot and read the note, almost forgetting that Cyrus was right there beside him.

_~TJ~_  
_Amaryllis – Beauty; worth beyond beauty_  
 _Blue Rose – I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you_  
 _You are such a handsome guy, but you are also so much more than that. I hope this reminds you of that. And, to answer your question, yes. We have talked before._  
 _~Your Unknown Enigma~_

            TJ felt his face heat up as he read and re-read the note, wide grinning splitting across his face. TJ thought that this might be his favourite note that he had gotten so far. He was about to read the note again when Cyrus cleared his throat, reminding TJ of his presence, “So, what does it say today?” he asked.

            TJ looked down at the note, still blushing, “He said that I’m handsome,” TJ said, bashfully, still re-reading the note. He could barely believe what he was seeing. When TJ finally looked up from the note, he noticed that Cyrus was also blushing, “He also said that we’ve talked before,”

            “Huh, well, that’s interesting. That means that you must know him,” Cyrus said in a nonchalant tone, but his body language was everything but nonchalant. His eyes were darting around, his posture was stiff, and he was biting his lip, all of which were definite tells that Cyrus was feeling agitated of flighty about _something_. It was weird for TJ, seeing Cyrus acting like this. Usually Cyrus was calm around him.

            “Yeah, it is pretty exciting,” TJ replied, looking down and smiling at the note again. This was _definitely_ his favourite note so far.

            “TJ, as adorable as watching you get all blushy over a note is, you’re going to be late for class if you don’t actually open your locker and get your stuff,” Cyrus said jokingly, staring pointedly at the still closed door. TJ blushed (Cyrus had called him adorable, to his face!) before quickly opening his locker, getting his books for the morning out, and placing the flowers in the top shelf of his locker as usual. TJ was just about to ask Cyrus if he was coming to his basketball game on Friday when the bell rang, forcing them to head in opposite directions so they could get to class. Oh well, he would ask later.

* * *

 

            “You were right about TJ camping out at his locker,” Buffy said, turning to Cyrus immediately after the teacher had set them to their work period, “Except it wasn’t TJ that was watching the locker, it was Jonah,”

            Cyrus’ eyes widened at this revelation, “Really? TJ and Jonah are working together to find me? Wait – you didn’t tell him anything right?” Cyrus asked, suddenly worried.

            “No, I didn’t tell him anything. I just said that ‘the unknown enigma asked me to do it for him’ and then I refused to elaborate and walked away to get you,”

            “Oh, thank goodness,” Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief.

            “I really think you should tell TJ, Cy,” Buffy said, once again, “He’ll be figuring it out on his own soon now anyway. He’s a pretty smart guy,”

            Cyrus nodded thoughtfully, “You may have a point. I just don’t think I’m ready to face that yet,” he said quietly.

            “I get that Cy, I really do. But seriously, he is going to figure this out soon. Don’t you want to let him know on your own terms?” She asked. Cyrus had to admit that she had a point.

            He was about to reply when their teacher shot them a look, bidding them to get back to work, so he shut his mouth and returned to his project. Cyrus couldn’t really blame her; they hadn’t really done much work yesterday. Besides, he wasn’t too upset about having to work quietly. He had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

 

            “It was Buffy who put the flowers up this morning,” Jonah said, turning his desk around so that he and TJ could ‘work together’ on the new assignment.

            “Buffy?” TJ asked incredulously.

            “Yeah, Buffy. So, I went up to her and asked her who gave her the stuff to set it up, and she refused to answer. Like full on ‘closed mouth, walked away, never looked back’ refused to answer,” Jonah said, “I even tried bribing her, but she wouldn’t budge. All she said was that the enigma asked her to do it for him,”

            The teacher glanced over at TJ and Jonah, and TJ looked at his worksheet, pretending to think about it while actually trying to figure out what this new information meant. When the teacher finally looked away, he turned his attention back to Jonah, “What do you think this means?”

            “The worksheet? I have no idea,” TJ gave Jonah an annoyed look, and Jonah smiled teasingly at him, “As for Buffy being the one who was there this morning… I think that it could definitely be contributing evidence to the ‘Cyrus Factor’,” Jonah said. He had insisted on giving the ‘mission’ a name, settling on the ‘Cyrus Factor’ after many possible names, for who knows what reason. At least he hadn’t decided to go with Docious Cyrosis (that one sounded like a disease, if you asked TJ).

            TJ’s excitement grew, he knew that Jonah was right. Cyrus was one of Buffy’s best friends, who else would she do this for? Not to mention all of the other little pieces of evidence that had been building up. TJ was almost certain that Cyrus was his admirer now, but he wanted to be one hundred percent certain before he made any moves. This was a high stakes decision, his friendship with Cyrus was the thing on the line, and TJ refused to jeopardize that, “Do you _really_ think it could be Cyrus?” TJ asked hopefully.

            “I _really_ don’t want to give you false hope, but yeah. I really do think it could be Cyrus,” Jonah said, “Now, let’s get to work so that we don’t have to do this later,” he finished, gesturing to the worksheet.

* * *

 

            Buffy and TJ had class together in the last period before lunch, and TJ wanted to ask her who the enigma was. He was pretty sure that she would refuse to answer, but he figured that he should try anyway. He sat impatiently through the teacher’s welcome, constantly glancing over at Buffy, hoping that an opportunity to talk to her would present itself. Finally, the teacher announced a pairs assignment, giving TJ a chance to talk to Buffy and he seized it. He quickly moved his desk over beside hers and opened up the laptop that they were supposed to use for the project, turning it on, before turning to her while it started up, “So, I heard from Jonah that you were the one delivering flowers to my locker this morning…” he started nonchalantly.

            “So, what if I was,” Buffy said, tight-lipped as always.

            TJ felt his nonchalant attitude slipping, “Can you tell me who it is? Please? Is it Cyrus? Please, tell me it’s Cyrus,” he practically begged, nonchalant exterior disappearing completely.

            Buffy’s hard expression softened, “I’m really sorry TJ, I can’t tell you, I promised the poor guy that I wouldn’t tell anyone,”

            TJ felt his face fall, he had thought that would be the answer, but he wanted to try anyways, “It’s okay, I get it,”

            Buffy bit her lip thoughtfully, seeming to think very carefully about what she was going to say next, “I will tell you that you won’t be disappointed by who it is,” she said slowly, and TJ felt his spirits rise. That had to mean it was Cyrus, right? “And I will _also_ tell you that you should tell Cyrus how you feel about him,” she said decisively.

            TJ was about to protest saying that she didn’t fully understand what it was like in his situation, but she held up a hand to stop him.

            “Let’s get started on this assignment, shall we? I will not get a bad grade because of your… feelings,” She said, making a face of mock-disgust.

            TJ laughed good naturedly, “Oh, like you were any better when you and Marty started dating,” he teased.

            “Hey, at least that was when we started _dating_ , you and Cyrus are still just friends and you’re already this bad,” Buffy retorted jokingly.

            TJ laughed and shook his head, gently pushing Buffy as he did so. He was glad that he got to have this talk with Buffy. It had made him feel… lighter. It had also nearly proven that Cyrus was the one leaving him flowers. But TJ still wasn’t sure. He needed more proof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More insight to the friendships of TJ & Jonah and Cyrus & Buffy! Also, Cyrosis is not a disease but, cirrohosis is a liver disease which I didn't do on purpose, but I think is kind of funny anyway.
> 
> Don't forget to vote for me in the AMFAs if you want to, Blue Roses was nominated for 'best underrated fic'! The voting information is on @andimackficawards tumblr page. Make sure you check out all the other awesome writing that was nominated too!
> 
> If you want to follow me on tumblr/send asks/see pictures of the flowers that TJ's getting, you can! My tumblr is: @justkimberley and my asks are always open!
> 
> Okay! Thank you all for reading! Please comment/kudos if you want to, they make me smile!


	10. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading/commenting/kudosing so far, it really means a lot to me. I can't believe there are only two chapters left! Crazy how fast time flies.
> 
> Word Count: 3361

            After school, Cyrus sat at home at his desk with his laptop open to a blank document. He stared at the page, silently cursing the flashing cursor that was tormenting him while he tried to figure out what he should write. He tried just starting but, he every time he did, he always stopped immediately afterwards because he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to answer TJ’s new note. Cyrus slumped over in his chair and let out a frustrated groan, running his hands through his hair before deleting what he had written… again. He just couldn’t figure out what to say! Why was this so hard? It was just TJ, he _never_ had a hard time saying anything to TJ, but for some reason his brain was completely empty of ideas today. He sat up from his slouched position and reached for TJ’s note, deciding to re-read it again, hoping it would spark some sort of inspiration.

_~Unknown Enigma~_  
_Thank you for the flowers from today, I think that today was my favourite note of them all._  
_I know that you want to stay anonymous, but is there any way you could consider telling me who you are? Please, I really want to know. I’m sorry if I scare you and that’s why you’re doing it like this. I promise I’m actually a nice person._  
_If you don’t want to tell me who you are, I understand, but could you maybe tell me what you look like, please? I just want to be able to imagine who these are coming from._  
_~TJ~_

            Cyrus let out a sigh, feeling a little guilty. He didn’t want TJ to think that he was afraid of him, that was the whole reason Cyrus had started doing this thing; to prove to TJ that he was not too intimidating for people to care about him. Cyrus just… wasn’t quite sure if he was ready to tell TJ it was him. This was all so frustrating. If only he could just read people’s minds and know how they were feeling or what they were thinking. That would make this so much easier, then he wouldn’t need to worry about what TJ would do when he found out, he would just know. Cyrus groaned and ran his hands through his hair once more, before placing his hands on the keys, hoping that something would come to him.

* * *

 

            “Jonah was waiting by TJ’s locker again,” Buffy said, walking towards Cyrus as he entered through the front doors of the school on Friday.

            “I guess it’s a good thing that I insisted on you dropping off the flowers again today then,” Cyrus said thoughtfully as they headed to the cafeteria.

            Buffy let out a frustrated groan, “How many days will I have to do this for? Not that I have a problem with helping you, but you should just tell him already,” Buffy said impatiently. Cyrus should have known this would come; Buffy’s not exactly known for her patience.

            “Today was the last day I needed you to do it. Tomorrow’s the last day, so I’ll do it on my own,” Cyrus said, hoping to appease her.

            Buffy’s eyes lit up and she turned to him, “So you’re finally going to tell him?” she asked excitedly.

            “I don’t think so. I’m just going to put them in his mailbox while he’s working or something, and the note will say that it’s the last day,” he said as they entered the cafeteria.

            Buffy raised her eyebrow at him, “Well that will be awfully disappointing for him, ‘Here’s your flowers, you don’t know who I am and you’re not getting any more!’ Yeah, I’m sure that’s how he wants it to end,” she sarcastically pointed out.

            Cyrus looked guiltily at the ground, “I know, I just… need more time…” Cyrus said lamely. Buffy gave him an incredulous look, and Cyrus turned his gaze to the ground once more. He felt like a coward, but he just wasn’t _ready_ yet. “ _And_ I can’t keep spending money on this,” Cyrus said jokingly, trying to make himself feel better as he neared the table.

            “Spending money on what?” TJ asked, sitting up from where he had laid his head on the table. Cyrus hadn’t even realized how close they were to the table, or that TJ was already sitting there, he had been so caught up in how he was feeling.

            “Umm, on my bike! It uhh, keeps breaking. The chain! The chain keeps breaking. On my bike,” he said, mentally face-palming himself. Wow Cyrus, real smooth. TJ will _definitely_ believe that.

            TJ looked at him suspiciously, “Okay… I’m about to head to my locker, do you want to come with me Underdog?” he asked, looking at Cyrus inquisitively. Cyrus was about to agree to go when he remembered what he had written in the note for today and he felt himself blush. He didn’t think he could handle being there when TJ read it.

            “Uh, I can’t, sorry, Buffy and I have a project for class we need to work on,” he said, giving TJ an apologetic smile, trying to control the blush he could feel rising on his cheeks.

            “Okay, see you at lunch then Underdog,” TJ said, sounding a little… disappointed? Before walking away. Why was TJ disappointed? _Now_ Cyrus felt guilty for disappointing TJ, even though he knew that if he had gone, he would have totally given himself away as TJ’s enigma with the enormous blush that would have risen on his face as TJ read the note.

            TJ was already halfway across the cafeteria before Cyrus snapped out of his thoughts, “See you at lunch TJ!” he squeaked out, just loud enough for TJ to hear him. TJ turned around and smiled at Cyrus, waving before he continued towards his locker. After TJ turned around Cyrus let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his head onto the table. Why was he like this? He raised his head up to look at Buffy who raised her eyebrow at him opening her mouth to make fun of his squeak (he assumed) but he shoved her shoulder gently before she could, and then returned to blushing down at the table.

* * *

 

            When the final bell rang at the end of school, TJ ran to his locker, grabbing his gym bag so he could get ready for the game. Tonight’s game was a semi-final and, even though he knew that the team was ready, he was starting to get a little nervous. He knew that his team was as prepared as they could be, they had been practicing really hard, but he just couldn’t help the nerves that were rising in his chest, it was to be expected with such a high stakes game.

            Just before he closed his locker, he saw his flowers from the morning, and he remembered that he needed to put his note out for his enigma. He quickly glanced at the other side of his locker door to see that the hook was still, thankfully, there. He had been so focused on the game that he had almost forgotten to put his note out. TJ quickly put the note on the hook and then glanced at his flowers once more, blushing as he remembered the note from that morning. He pulled it out quickly to read again before he went to the locker room.

_~TJ~_  
_Lilac – Confidence_  
_Blue Rose – I can’t have you, but I can’t stop thinking about you_  
_TJ, I like you in a way that I’ve never liked anyone before, and it honestly scares me a little._  
_That’s why I’ve been doing this anonymously, I promise that it’s not because you intimidate me, I know that you are not a scary person._  
_I’m really sorry, but I’m just not ready to tell you who I am yet, I hope that you understand._  
_I have brown hair and brown eyes. I’ll be cheering you on at your game tonight, so good luck and play well <3_  
_~Your Unknown Enigma~_

            This note was TJ’s new favourite. Not only was it the longest one yet, but now TJ was ninety-nine percent sure his ‘unknown enigma’ was Cyrus. He still hadn’t said anything to Cyrus about it though… there was still a part of his brain (that stubborn one percent) that said that there was no way that Cyrus would care about TJ this way and, as much as he hated to admit it, TJ was terrified of the possible rejection. He smiled once again at his note before placing it back in his locker and closing the door, making sure that his note was attached securely to the outside for his enigma to find before running to the gym.

            When TJ reached the gym, he headed to the locker room and changed quickly into his basketball uniform while joking with his teammates. He had just finished laughing at a particularly good joke from Connor when he realized that he hadn’t put his shoes on yet. He opened up his bag again to get his them out, but they weren’t there. TJ searched all around where he had been getting ready, checked in his bag again, and looked around through his teammates stuff, but his shoes were nowhere to be found. He felt some worry start to kick in, but he knew that before he got himself too worked up, he should check his locker to see if they were there.

            TJ sprinted through the hallways towards his locker so that he could be back in time for warm-ups, but he stopped abruptly in his tracks as soon as his locker came into view. Cyrus was standing in front of TJ’s locker, reading the note that TJ had left for his enigma. TJ immediately hid behind a wall, peeking around the corner to watch. Part of him was worried that Cyrus wasn’t respecting his privacy, but that part shut up immediately after he saw Cyrus blush and put the note and the hook in his backpack before walking away. TJ took a moment to process what he had just seen, leaning against the wall and catching his breath. There was no other way to interpret it, Cyrus _was_ his ‘unknown enigma’.

            TJ felt the immediate need to celebrate, but the sound of basketballs bouncing in the gym broke him out of his reverie. Right. He needed to focus on basketball at the moment, he could talk to Cyrus later. TJ ran to his locker and opened it, sighing in relief as he saw his basketball shoes jumbled at the bottom. He picked them up and closed his locker before running back to the gym, pushing his thoughts of Cyrus away for later. Right now he had a game to win, Cyrus would still be there when he was finished.

* * *

 

            After he picked up TJ’s note, Cyrus headed to his locker to pick up the signs that they had used to cheer for TJ at the last game, before heading to the gym. When Cyrus walked in, he was immediately bombarded with the sounds of the crowd. This was easily Jefferson’s most watched game so far this season. When Cyrus got over the sound of the crowd, he turned his attention to the court where he saw TJ’s team running drills like a well-oiled machine. TJ had a look of absolute determination on his face as the team worked their way through the drills. It was a look that many would call scary (Cyrus knows that he did before he got to know TJ), but Cyrus now just thought it was attractive. He liked seeing how passionate TJ was about the things he cared about, and that was when he got to see TJ’s determined face. Shaking himself out of his thoughts (and his eyes away from TJ), Cyrus turned his attention to the bleachers, looking for his friends. When he finally found them, he headed up the steps to take his seat beside Buffy.

            “What took you so long to get here? I thought that you just had to grab the posters?” she asked, turning towards him and looking at him questioningly.

            “I had to pick up my flower hanging contraption… and TJ’s note, so I had to wait until he was done at his locker before I could get it,” Cyrus replied, he wasn’t too concerned about the others overhearing here. The crowd was loud, and Andi, Jonah, Marty and Libby seemed to be very absorbed in their own conversation.

            “Ooo another note from TJ,” Buffy teased, bumping her shoulder against Cyrus’, “What did this one say, anything interesting?” she asked.

            Cyrus blushed as he recalled what the note said, “It said something like: thank you again for the flowers. I really hope that you’ll feel ready to tell me who you are soon. Also, thanks for wishing me luck in the game tonight, it means a lot to me,” Cyrus recited.

            “Is that all it said?” Buffy asked, “Because the way that you’re blushing right now is telling me that there was something else in there too,” she said teasingly.

            Cyrus felt his face warm up even more, “It… may have also said that he hoped I would be ready to reveal who I am soon because he has a thing for boys with brown hair and brown eyes,” he finished, smiling down at his hands, realizing that he was still holding all of the signs. He quickly handed out the signs to Jonah, Libby, Andi, Marty and finally Buffy. The others had returned to their conversation immediately, but Buffy was still just staring incredulously at him.

            “So… you’re going to tell him it’s you now, right?” she asked.

            “I don’t know Buffy. He said that, but he might like someone else… I don’t know,” Cyrus said dejectedly.

            Buffy grabbed Cyrus’ shoulders and turned him so that he would look her in the eyes, Cyrus felt his posture stiffen out of shock,  “Cyrus Goodman, you are ridiculous,” she said before letting go of him, “TJ wants it to be you, so will you just tell him already?” she said, getting frustrated. Cyrus felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop at her words.

            “He _wants_ it to be _me_? How do you _know_ that?” he asked.

            Buffy’s eyes widened as she realized what she said, “I was not supposed to tell you that,” she said, looking a little guilty, “But you know what? I’m so tired of watching you two do this. Cyrus, TJ wants it to be you. He told me yesterday. So please, just tell him,” she said imploringly.

            Cyrus swallowed and then nodded, “Okay,”

            Buffy looked at him in surprise, “Okay?” she asked, as if she thought that her speech wouldn’t work.

            “Okay, I’ll tell TJ it’s me after the game,” he said determinedly. Buffy looked at him like Christmas had come early, and Cyrus couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction. She was way more invested in this than he thought she was. Just as his laughter died out, the whistle blew, signalling the end of warm-ups, and calling the teams into position.

* * *

 

            There were fifteen seconds left in the game, and Jefferson was down by one point. Connor had just stolen the ball from the other team and was dribbling towards the basket. He went as far as he could, but he was blocked a few feet from the three-point line. Cyrus wrung his hands nervously in his lap, he knew that Connor couldn’t make the shot from where he was standing. Connor looked around quickly, before faking a pass to the right and then passing to TJ who was standing directly behind the three-point line on Connor’s left. Cyrus held his breath as TJ caught the ball. There were three seconds left. Cyrus watched as TJ took a deep breath, bent his knees, and jumped, shooting the ball towards the basket. It felt like the ball was traveling in slow motion through the air before it finally went straight through the hoop. It didn’t even touch the rim and it dropped down to the gym floor just as the buzzer rang out, signaling the end of the game.

            The crowd went wild. Jefferson had won! Jefferson was going to the city finals! Cyrus and his friends were all cheering, waving their hands in the air, and hugging along with the rest of the school. Part of Cyrus briefly wished he remembered his megaphones before he was engulfed in a hug from Buffy pulling his focus back to cheering. When TJ’s teammates finally broke their group hug (if you could call it that, it was more like a big pile of aggressive pats), Cyrus ran down the bleachers to congratulate TJ. He ran full speed into TJ, and wrapped his arms around him, shouting “You did it! You won! And you shot the winning basket! You did so good TJ!” TJ took a second to respond before he wrapped his arms tightly around Cyrus, picked him up, and spun him around before gently setting him down again.

            “I can’t believe we won! We’re in the finals now!” TJ said, still hugging Cyrus tightly to him.

            “TJ, I uhh I want to tell you…” Cyrus started before he was interrupted by one of teammates running over.

            “We voted you the game ball, Kippen!” he said, throwing TJ the ball, TJ was forced to remove his arms from Cyrus to catch it (and prevent it from hitting Cyrus in the face). Cyrus missed the comforting feeling of TJ’s arms around him as soon as they left.

            “Cyrus, I know you’re – ” TJ started before Marty ran up to them, interrupting him.

            “Nice game man! That last shot? That was awesome,” Marty said patting TJ on the back.

            “Thanks man, I need to talk to Cyrus though, I’ll talk to you later okay?” TJ said desperately, Marty gave him a weird look, but then shrugged and walked back to their friends where Buffy punched him (lightly) in the shoulder.

            “Cyrus, I need to tell you something,” TJ said reaching out to grab Cyrus’ hand.

            Cyrus was confused about what TJ needed to tell him because _he_ was the one that needed to tell _TJ_ something, but he nodded and started reaching his hand towards TJ’s anyways, indicating that he was listening.

            “I-” TJ started, their hands inching towards each other, so close to touching, before TJ’s teammates grabbed him from behind and hoisted him up on their shoulders, chanting ‘Kippen, Kippen, Kippen’ as TJ struggled against them, “No, guys I need to talk to Cyrus!” he said, but his pleas fell on unobservant ears. His teammates were too caught up in the euphoria of winning to listen to what TJ was saying. TJ looked at Cyrus hopelessly.

            “Go celebrate with your teammates, we can talk tomorrow!” he shouted over the noise. TJ bit his lip before hesitantly nodding his head in agreeance. Cyrus smiled and waved at him as he was carried through the locker room door. TJ waved back, a small smile working its way back onto his face, replacing the annoyed look that had been there.

            “So, what did he say when you told him it was you?” Buffy said, startling Cyrus as she appeared at his side.

            “He didn’t say anything,” Buffy looked outraged for a moment before Cyrus continued, “We kept getting interrupted. I didn’t get the chance to tell him,” Cyrus finished, sighing in frustration.

            “Seriously?” Buffy asked incredulously.

              “Yeah, but it’s okay, I’ll just tell him tomorrow,” Cyrus said calmly as Buffy gave him a confused look. He understood why she was confused, usually this kind of thing would leave Cyrus stressed out to the max but, despite the frustrating events of the past few minutes, he was feeling strangely content. He knew that no matter what they needed to talk about, no matter what either of them did, they would be okay. After all, they _were_ TJ and Cyrus, and things between the two of them always seemed to work out for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry! I know you've probably all been waiting for the big reveal, but don't worry, next chapter is fifteen pages of everything you've ever wanted. It also might be the longest chapter in this story...
> 
> See if you can find my high school musical reference...
> 
> Also that opening paragraph was very much me projecting onto the chapter trying to figure out how to start it... lol
> 
> Polls for the AMFAs are open until May 25, 2019, so if you want to, please vote for Blue Roses for 'best underrated fic' it would mean a lot to me! All of the information is on @andimackficawards page on tumblr. Thank you to anyone who voted for me! Check out all of the other amazing stories that were nominated too.
> 
> If you want to yell into the void that is my tumblr asks, go ahead! My tumblr is @justkimberley and my asks are always open!
> 
> Okay! That's it, thank you for reading, if you want to comment/kudos please do! They make my day.


	11. Red Carnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ comes over to Cyrus' house and they finally get to talk. Fluff ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who have read, commented, and left kudos this far! It really does mean a lot to me that this little story of mine has gotten so much love!
> 
> Prepare yourselves for 5000+ words of fluff my friends, I've made you wait long enough.
> 
> Word Count: 5109

            Cyrus woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of his phone ringing loudly somewhere on his right. He groggily reached over to where it was charging beside his bed and picked up the call, “Hello?” he asked tiredly.

            “Oh god, sorry, I woke you up, didn’t I?” TJ’s voice carried through the phone.

            Cyrus smiled at the sound of it, “Yeah, you did, but that’s okay. What’s up? Why are you calling me at,” Cyrus paused to check the time, “Seven thirty in the morning? Seriously?” Cyrus asked incredulously.

            “Sorry! I’m… I’m sorry. I just couldn’t really sleep any longer,” TJ said sheepishly through the phone.

            “It’s fine TJ, really. So, you called me to tell me that you couldn’t sleep any longer?” Cyrus asked teasingly.

            TJ chuckled nervously, “No, I called you to ask when we could talk. You promised yesterday that we could talk today,” TJ said seriously.

            “Well, my parents have a psychology convention today, so you can come over anytime after nine this morning. I need some time to eat and say bye to them,” Cyrus said while he rolled over, slowly becoming more awake.

            “Okay, yeah…okay. That works for me, I’ll be over at nine, bye Underdog!” TJ said quickly.

            “Wait!” Cyrus called into the phone, hoping that TJ would hear him before he hung up.

            “Yeah?” TJ asked quietly.

            “This talk we need to have, it isn’t _bad_ news, right?” Cyrus asked nervously, biting his lip. He hadn’t thought about the possibility that TJ could be mad at him or something else like that until the very moment TJ was about to hang up. But now Cyrus was starting to feel worried. He was surprised that it had taken this long for that feeling to kick in actually, usually the words ‘I need to talk to you’ immediately instilled fear in his heart. He guessed that it was just related to the fact that this was TJ, and Cyrus was never _really_ worried when it came to TJ.

            “No! No, Underdog, this will be great news. I promise,” TJ said sincerely.

            “Okay,” Cyrus said, smiling and feeling better already, “I’ll see you at nine,” Cyrus finished, fighting back the impulse to end the call with ‘I love you’. It was a habit he had from talking with his parents on the phone, but a pesky ‘I love you’ tended to slide out sometimes when he was with his friends. Normally it wasn’t a big deal, but he couldn’t just say _that_ to _TJ_.

            “I’ll see you at nine,” TJ confirmed before he ended the call.

            Cyrus laid back down on his bed, smiling up at the roof and taking some time to think before getting up for the day. When he finally felt like he was ready to face the day, he haphazardly got dressed and then headed downstairs to eat breakfast with his family.

            “Good morning sweetheart,” his mom said to him as he sat down at the table, pulling the plate of pancakes closer.

            “Good morning Mom, good morning Todd,” Cyrus said, nodding at them before he started eating.

            “So, I just wanted to remind you that we’ll be out at that convention until late tonight. I left some money for pizza on the counter if you want it for supper and, if you need anything, you just call us okay?” She asked. His parents always worried when they left him, and although it was nice to feel loved, he also didn’t really understand why they were _still_ so worried about him being alone. He was almost in high school! But, alas, that was not an important argument to get in.

            “Thanks Mom. Is it okay if TJ comes over today?” Cyrus asked, he knew the answer would be yes, but he figured he should ask anyway.

            “Of course, sweetie, that should be fine as long as his parents are okay with it,”

            “Awesome,” Cyrus replied before digging into his pancakes. He saw his mom and stepdad share a look with each other in his peripheral vision as he started chowing down. He had noticed that they had started doing that a lot, especially when he mentioned TJ. They had also started subtly talking about their support for the LGBT community a lot recently. Cyrus knew that they were probably catching on to Cyrus’ feelings, and the fact that he was gay (despite never having told them), but he decided to ignore that for now. He could deal with that later. All he wanted to focus on today was telling TJ that he was the ‘unknown enigma’; something that he was surprisingly _not_ nervous about doing. It was like the universe was telling him that this would all be fine in the end, and Cyrus had _never_ been one to counter the universe.

            The rest of breakfast passed in a blur, soon the dishes were done, and Cyrus was waving to his mom and Todd as they backed out of the driveway. When the car finally disappeared from his view, Cyrus went inside and checked the time. He had just a little bit of time before TJ would be showing up, so he rushed around the house to get TJ’s flowers and note ready, rehearsing what he was going to say when he finally told TJ that the anonymous enigma was him in his head the whole time.

* * *

 

            Cyrus was sitting on his bed running what he wanted to say through his head when the doorbell rang.  He almost didn’t hear it because of how focused he was, but when it finally registered that he had heard the doorbell, Cyrus left the flowers on his bed (he would give them to TJ later) and rushed to the front door, taking a deep breath and smoothing out his shirt before opening it.

            “I need to tell you –” Cyrus started the second he saw TJ’s face, cutting himself off almost immediately after he starting, because he noticed that _TJ_ was holding a flower. More specifically, TJ was holding the exact same kind of flower that was currently sitting on Cyrus’ bed right now. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this, give me one second, I’ll be right back,” Cyrus said before sprinting up the stairs to his room. “Please come in!” he shouted over his shoulder as he reached the top of the stairs when he realized that he had left TJ standing awkwardly outside of his house.

            Cyrus finally got to his room and picked up the flower and the note, taking a quick second to remind himself that this _wouldn’t_ be a mistake, and then sprinted back downstairs to find TJ, now inside the house, door closed behind him, standing with his shoes off, in the front entrance, still holding the red flower. When Cyrus reached TJ, he took a second to catch his breath. TJ watched Cyrus with an amused look on his face and waited quietly for Cyrus to speak.

             When Cyrus felt like he could talk again, he stood up and held out his flower with the note to TJ who looked at him curiously, “Look, same flowers,” Cyrus said lamely, “You’ve uhh, you’ve probably figured this out already, judging by the fact that you also have a flower, but, surprise! It’s me, I’m your unknown enigma…” Cyrus finished hesitantly, biting his lip. _That_ was _not_ how he had planned out telling TJ, but TJ had kind of thrown a wrench into Cyrus’ plans by showing up with a _flower of his own_ ; that was supposed to be Cyrus’ thing!

            TJ stared at Cyrus for a moment, making a face that Cyrus didn’t really know how to interpret (it looked something like fondness, but a little different), before taking the flower from him, “I know Underdog,” TJ said, face breaking out into a grin before handing the flower that _he_ brought to _Cyrus_ , “I know,”

* * *

 

            Cyrus stared in awe at the flower that TJ had handed him while TJ quickly read the note that was attached to the flower Cyrus gave him. TJ couldn’t help but briefly think about how endearing Cyrus’ commitment to the whole act of being the ‘unknown enigma’ was. Cyrus didn’t need to make a note for today, he could have just said these words out loud. But that was never how Cyrus rolled, and that was one of the reasons that TJ liked him so much. Cyrus always went through with things the way that he planned to, no matter what obstacles came his way.

_~TJ~_   
_Red Carnation – Love; admiration_   
_I thought about getting you a red rose for this day, but I thought that red roses were too… I don’t know predictable. I am ready to tell you who I am now, which you probably already know because I’m planning on giving this to you in person, but it’s me, Cyrus. I want you to know that I didn’t just do this as a friend. I really like you TJ, and if you don’t like me back, that’s okay, but I just want you to know that you can be loved “romantic stylez”. I hope that I managed to make you happy with these flowers, even if you don’t like me back in the same way that I like you._   
_~Cyrus~_

            TJ felt himself start laughing and tearing up at the same time. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. This whole situation was so ridiculous! Cyrus looked up from where he had been absentmindedly smiling at the carnation that TJ had given him, his expression changing from content and happy to confused, “Why are you laughing? Wait, why are you crying?” he asked worriedly, “Is everything okay?”

            TJ just smiled wordlessly at Cyrus before engulfing him in a tight hug, “I’ve never been better,” TJ replied, smiling into Cyrus’ hair, “We’re so stupid,” he said after a moment, still lightly chuckling.

            Cyrus pulled back slightly from the hug to give TJ a confused look, “What do you mean?”

            “We could’ve been dating already! We could’ve been dating for months already! Well, I mean I’ve liked you since about a year ago, so we could’ve been together for almost a year by now! Of course, I don’t know when you started liking me though, so –” TJ was planning on continuing his rambling when Cyrus cut him off by placing his hand over TJ’s mouth. TJ shut his mouth and raised one of his eyebrows questioningly at Cyrus.

            “Wait, so you like me too?” Cyrus asked, eyes widening in disbelief.

            TJ removed Cyrus’ hand from his mouth, and intertwined their fingers together, “Well, duh Cyrus, I thought you knew what red carnations stood for? Or do you want to read the beautiful note you gave me to remind yourself?” TJ asked teasingly holding up the flower and note in his other hand. He watched in delight as Cyrus’ cheeks reddened.

            “We really could have been going out for months now, huh?” Cyrus asked, finally smiling back at TJ.

            TJ grinned and pulled Cyrus closer to him again, burying his face in Cyrus’ shoulder, breathing in the scent of Cyrus’ fabric softener, “Does this mean you’ll be my boyfriend?” TJ asked.

            Cyrus nuzzled closer into TJ’s chest, making TJ feel warm and fuzzy, “Of course I will,” he said, pulling away from TJ. TJ let out a quiet whine of disapproval; he didn’t want to let go of Cyrus yet… he didn’t want to let go of Cyrus ever. “Oh calm down, you big baby,” Cyrus said teasingly, grabbing TJ’s hand again and leading him to the kitchen, putting both of their flowers into a vase before leading him to the door to the basement, “I just thought we could go cuddle and talk downstairs,” he said.

            TJ smiled as he followed Cyrus, “I suppose I can allow that… can we watch a movie too?” he asked as they headed down the stairs.

            “I should hope you can ‘allow’ that,” Cyrus said jokingly as they neared the couch, “Yeah we can watch a movie, what movie do you want to watch,” he asked.

            TJ flopped down on the couch and reached out for Cyrus, pulling him towards the couch from where he was standing with the remote, “I don’t care as long as I get to hold you,” he said, finally getting Cyrus to join him on the couch. He smirked to himself when he saw Cyrus’ blush growing up his neck.

            “Okay then, Mr. Charming,” Cyrus said, putting on a documentary that TJ had never seen, before finally flopping down so that TJ could pull him into his arms.

            “Mr. Charming?” TJ asked, “As in Prince Charming?” he teased.

            Cyrus hid his face in TJ’s chest, and TJ felt butterflies rise up in response, “Shut up,” Cyrus mumbled into TJ’s chest, “Pretend I didn’t say that,”

            TJ let out a quiet chuckle, “I will _never_ forget that. It’s okay, you can call me anything you want, as long as I get to call you my boyfriend,” TJ said, pulling the giggling Cyrus closer to him and letting out a sigh of relief before turning his attention to the documentary.

            “You’re so cheesy,” he heard Cyrus mutter quietly before snuggling closer into TJ’s chest and turning his head so he could watch the tv.

* * *

 

            Cyrus and TJ had swapped places about halfway through the documentary, now TJ was laying on Cyrus’ chest, and Cyrus had his arms wrapped around TJ, and Cyrus had to admit… getting to hold TJ was one of the best feelings in the world. “Hey,” Cyrus said softly, playing with TJ’s fingers and grabbing TJ’s attention from the documentary (and making sure he was awake).

            “Yeah?” TJ asked, lifting his head a little so that Cyrus could see his face.

            “You said that you’ve liked me for almost a year… when did you realize you liked me?” Cyrus asked quietly. He was curious, they had only known each other for just over a year. That meant TJ must have started liking him very shortly after they met, which Cyrus found hard to believe. He had always thought that he was one of those people you could only learn to love after you learned to tolerate them.

            Cyrus saw a blush spread from TJ’s cheeks up to the tips of his ears, “I thought you were cute as soon as I met you… and I kind of _always_ felt drawn towards you. But I started having actual feelings for you after that day when you talked to me during the basketball game, I think. Or at least that’s when I started noticing it. You told me there was nothing wrong with me, and for the first time in a long time, I actually believed those words. You were willing to sit and listen to me complain, and you gave me good advice, and you seemed like you actually cared about me… I just… I don’t know. How could I _not_ start feeling something for you?” TJ finished, grinning up at Cyrus with red cheeks.

            Cyrus felt himself blush at TJ’s words, “You started liking me that early on?” he asked incredulously.

            “Of course! As I said, how could I not?” TJ smirked, “So, what about you?” he asked, turning his full attention to Cyrus.

            “What about me?” Cyrus asked, feigning confusion.

            “When did you start having feelings for me? You said we could’ve been going out for months, so when did you realize?” TJ asked, poking Cyrus’ nose.

            Cyrus felt himself blush, “I mean, I think that I felt a pull towards you when we first met too, but I probably noticed that I had real feelings for you more recently. It was when we were hanging out, just you and me, I don’t know, six months ago maybe? Maybe it was longer ago than that, I’m not really sure. But you insisted on teaching me how to shoot a basketball and, despite how much I complained and put myself down, you refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. And you kept saying things like ‘you can do it Underdog, I believe in you,’ and then you stood behind me, and helped me with my stance, and suddenly my heart just started beating really loud and fast, and I knew that I was done for,” Cyrus said, looking down to see TJ’s reaction.

            TJ smiled and buried his face in Cyrus’ chest, Cyrus thought that TJ might actually be blushing harder than him, which made no sense at the moment. “Can I tell you a secret about that day?” TJ asked, raising his face up to look at Cyrus.

            “Sure,” Cyrus said, shrugging as he admired the blush on TJ’s face.

            “I didn’t actually have to stand behind you like that to fix your stance… actually I probably could have fixed your stance better if I didn’t wrap myself around you,” TJ paused, chuckling quietly to himself, putting his face back down onto Cyrus, “I fixed your stance like that because I wanted an excuse to be close to you,” TJ finished, mumbling into Cyrus’ chest. Cyrus could barely see TJ’s face, because it was hidden in Cyrus’ chest, but if the colour of the tip of TJ’s ears was anything to go by, TJ could probably rival a firetruck with how red he was at the moment.

            Cyrus hugged TJ closer to him, “I think that’s sweet,”

            TJ lifted his head off of Cyrus’ chest, “Really? It’s not lame?” he asked.

            “Really. I think that it’s actually kind of cute,” Cyrus said smiling, “And just think, now you can hold me whenever you want to. You don’t even need to have the pretence of ‘helping’ me,” Cyrus teased, giggling.

            TJ hid his face in Cyrus’ chest again and lightly hit Cyrus’ shoulder, “Leave me alone!” he groaned, but Cyrus could see the corner of TJ’s lips turned up in a smile.

            Cyrus pulled TJ closer to him again, “Never,” he said, smiling down at the top of TJ’s head.

* * *

 

            TJ was still laying on Cyrus’ chest two documentaries into their hang out (date? Was this a date?) when he heard Cyrus’ stomach growl. He lifted his head up to look at Cyrus, trying to stifle a giggle when he saw Cyrus blushing, embarrassed at the sound. TJ propped his chin up on his hands, “You hungry Underdog?” he asked, smiling.

            “Maybe,” Cyrus said reluctantly, cheeks still red.

            “Let’s go make lunch then,” TJ said, not moving from his position laying on Cyrus.

            “Well, how are we supposed to make lunch if you don’t get off of me?” Cyrus asked teasingly.

            TJ buried his face in Cyrus’ chest again before looking up at his face, “Ugh, fine… I just don’t want to let go of you now that I can hold you all the time,” he said, wrapping his arms tighter around Cyrus.

            Cyrus blushed even darker, “You, TJ Kippen, are going to be the death of me with all that sweet talk. My heart can’t handle it,” he said, wrapping his arms tighter around TJ in return, “But seriously, I need some food or my body will start eating itself. We can hold hands while we cook, or you can hang on my shoulders, or whatever, but I need food,”

            TJ sighed dramatically before getting off of Cyrus and reaching his hand out to help Cyrus up, “Okay, fine. But just know that you’ve awakened a cuddle beast,” TJ warned.

            Cyrus laughed, grabbing TJ’s hand as he got up off of the couch, “I wouldn’t have it any other way, you big softie,” he said, holding TJ’s hand as he pulled him up the stairs.

* * *

 

            Cyrus was moving around the kitchen, making sandwiches for TJ and himself while TJ was hugging him from behind and walking with him. “You know, I could probably do this a lot faster if you let go of me for like five minutes, and then we could get back to actual cuddling sooner,” Cyrus said as TJ moved with him so they could grab a butter knife

            TJ just stayed behind him, walking with him while he moved, and wrapped his arms a little tighter, “Hey, you said that I could do this,” TJ reminded him, “ _And_ you said that you wouldn’t have it any other way than me being a cuddle beast,  so this is what you signed up for. Sorry, not sorry,” he teased, watching over Cyrus’ shoulder as Cyrus started assembling the sandwiches now that all of the ingredients were in front of them.

            He heard Cyrus let out a little chuckle, “That’s true, I did say that,” Cyrus said, letting out a sigh. TJ could hear the smile in Cyrus’ voice. “And I don’t regret it. I just realized, we should probably tell our friends about us, huh? They have no idea that it all worked out. Buffy and Jonah are probably going out of their minds waiting to hear what happened,” Cyrus said, finishing the first sandwich.

            TJ nuzzled into Cyrus’ shoulder, “We could just wait until school on Monday and then walk in holding hands,” he said.

            Cyrus paused and then turned around in TJ’s arms to face him, surprised look on his face, “You want to do that? Be out to the whole school? Are you sure?”

            TJ shrugged and smiled at Cyrus. Sure, it sounded a little scary, but he’d have Cyrus there with him, “Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t think I would be able to pretend that we’re not together, I like being close to you too much. And, I don’t know, it seems less scary with you by my side. Not to mention, can you imagine the looks on everyone’s faces when they see us? It will be so funny!” he said grinning at the image of what his friends’ reactions might be, “But only if you want to,” TJ added. He didn’t want to force Cyrus to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with.

            Cyrus giggled a little and smiled back at TJ before turning around to finish making the sandwiches, “You’re right, it would be pretty funny. Although, I think Buffy might kill us for keeping her out of the loop if we do it that way,” he said finishing the other sandwich and walking over to the table while TJ walked with him, still holding him from behind.

            He let go of Cyrus for a moment so that he could sit down before he grabbed Cyrus and pulled him onto his lap, hugging him again. Cyrus giggled as he reached forward to place the plates onto the table, “C’mon TJ, we can sit on separate chairs while we eat, you can hold my hand just like we did at lunch on Wednesday,” Cyrus said, still giggling.

            “Fine,” TJ said airily, letting go of Cyrus so that he could sit down on the chair beside TJ. TJ quickly grabbed Cyrus’ hand as he sat down, “I don’t know, Buffy might be annoyed that we didn’t tell her sooner, but I think she’ll mostly just be happy that we finally did something about us,” he said as Cyrus started eating his lunch.

            Cyrus nodded, “That’s true… okay, let’s do it,” he said, smile growing on his face as he warmed up to the idea, “We won’t say anything to them about us this weekend, and then on Monday we’ll walk into the school holding hands and see what they do,” Cyrus said, eyes shining with amusement.

            TJ smiled back at him, “This is going to be hilarious,” he said before turning to eat his sandwich, squeezing Cyrus’ hand just to remind himself that this was real. TJ saw Cyrus smile in his peripheral vision before Cyrus squeezed his hand right back.

* * *

 

            TJ and Cyrus had pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling and talking in the basement, only taking a brief break to order and eat pizza before returning to their little area on the couch. TJ had fallen asleep on Cyrus shortly after they ate supper, and he had been laying on top of Cyrus, quietly snoring ever since. Cyrus supposed that some people might not like being stuck where they were for so long, but he was completely content to stay just where he was, looking over TJ’s face, examining him up close, and finding new details that made him like TJ even more. Being this close to TJ, Cyrus could see the little freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose that got darker in the summer but were harder to see in the winter and the spring. He tried to count them, but he lost count when he found a little scar on TJ’s forehead. It was small, and he never would have seen it if he wasn’t this close but Cyrus _was_ close, so he could see it. He absentmindedly made a mental note to ask TJ what it was from later. Cyrus brought up one of his hands to gently run his thumb over TJ’s eyebrow, smoothing down the hairs that had been moved out of place before bringing his hand up into TJ’s hair and running his fingers through it. TJ had not put any product in his hair today, and Cyrus could tell because it was soft, and his fingers ran smoothly through it without getting caught on anything _or_ finding any crunchy spots.

            As Cyrus ran his fingers through TJ’s hair, he saw TJ’s eyelids start fluttering, slowly coming back to consciousness. TJ nuzzled himself closer to Cyrus’ chest, letting out a content humming noise, “That is honestly the best way to wake up,” TJ said, eyes still closed, leaning into Cyrus’ hand that was still running through his hair.

            Cyrus smiled at him, “Yeah?” he asked quietly.

            TJ nodded, “Yeah,” he said smiling.

            “So… does this mean that you’ll wear your hair product free at school? That way I can touch your hair all the time,” Cyrus said still running his fingers through TJ’s hair, never wanting to forget the feeling of it.

            TJ hummed, relaxing further into Cyrus’ touch, “I suppose I might consider going to school product-less, but only if that means you actually _will_ play with my hair like this, because this feels great,” TJ said smiling, finally opening his eyes to look at Cyrus.

            Cyrus stopped petting TJ’s hair and sat up a little bit, TJ frowned at Cyrus’ actions, “Wait, don’t you have tutoring on Saturdays? Please tell me you didn’t skip tutoring,” Cyrus said seriously.

            TJ chuckled quietly before relaxing back onto Cyrus, “Relax Cyrus, tutoring was moved to Sunday this weekend because my tutor had to go to a baby shower or something,”

            Cyrus relaxed and went back to running his fingers through TJ’s hair, “Okay, good,” he said before he felt his cheeks heat up when he thought back to how TJ said his name, “I like the way you say my name,” he mumbled out, not even sure if TJ would hear him… not even sure if he _wanted_ TJ to hear him.

            “Yeah?” TJ asked looking up at Cyrus questioningly, Cyrus nodded, smiling, “Well I like the way that you care so much about me that you were worried that I missed a tutoring session, _Cyrus_ ,” TJ said grinning. Cyrus felt his cheeks heat up even more.

            “Stop, you’re going to make me combust,” he said, hiding his face in his hands.

            “Never,” TJ replied grinning, pulling Cyrus’ hands from his face, “I like that I can make you blush, just by saying your name,” he said, looking over Cyrus’ face with a proud smirk.

            “That’s not fair, I don’t know how to make you blush,” Cyrus said, pouting.

            “That’s okay, you’ll have a long time to figure it out,” TJ said before relaxing back onto Cyrus’ chest and pulling one of Cyrus’ hands back into his hair. Cyrus got the memo that he should go back to running his fingers through TJ’s hair again.

            “You’re like a needy cat,” Cyrus said, giggling as he stroked TJ’s hair.

            TJ let out an amused snort, “I am not,”

            “Whatever you say, Cuddle-Bug,” Cyrus teased, watching with delight as TJ’s face turned red, “Looks like I’ve figured out how to make you blush, _Cuddle-Bug_ ,” he said teasingly, smiling down at TJ.

            “You figured that out _way_ too quickly,” TJ said, looking up at Cyrus in mock-annoyance with bright red cheeks. Cyrus just shrugged in response and laughed. TJ joined in shortly after, wrapping his arms back around Cyrus before settling back down into Cyrus’ chest.

* * *

 

            “So, I’ll see you before school on Monday, right?” Cyrus asked as TJ slipped on his shoes. He had been at Cyrus’ house for nearly twelve hours at this point.

            “Yup, I’ll come pick you up and we can walk to school together,” TJ confirmed, slipping on his jacket. TJ was now _physically_ ready to leave. He had his jacket, his flower was beside the door, and he was beside the door, but he didn’t want to go yet.

            “Sounds good to me,” Cyrus said, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around TJ.

            TJ hugged Cyrus back, squeezing him tight. Not tight enough to hurt him, just tight enough to bring him as close as possible, “I don’t want to go yet,” he mumbled by Cyrus’ ear.

            Cyrus giggled quietly, “I know you don’t. I don’t really want you to leave either, but your parents are waiting for you,”

            “I guess you’re right,” TJ said, burying his face into Cyrus’ shoulder where he could still catch the scent of Cyrus’ fabric softener, “This _is_ all real right? I’m not dreaming?” he asked quietly.

            Cyrus pulled away slightly from the hug and looked directly into TJ’s eyes, “This is real TJ, I promise,” he said before going back into the hug.

            They stood there holding each other for a while longer, just living in the fact that they could do this now, neither wanting to let go of the other, before TJ’s phone buzzed, “Okay Underdog, that was probably my mom. I’ll see you on Monday,” TJ said, squeezing Cyrus gently one more time before letting go.

            Cyrus handed TJ his flower and his note, “I’ll see you on Monday,”

            “Bye,” TJ said as he opened the door and started down the steps to the sidewalk.

            “Bye,” Cyrus replied. TJ started walking down the sidewalk, away from Cyrus’ house, turning around to look at Cyrus, who was still waving, one last time before he turned the corner, Cyrus’ house disappearing from his sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like both Cyrus and TJ are pretty affectionate people, but I also feel like TJ is the one who really thrives off of it... idk.
> 
> Oh my gosh, one chapter left! This is crazy! Thank you so much to everyone that reads/comments on/leaves kudos on my little fic, it really means a lot to me. Also thank you to anyone who decided to vote for me in the AMFAs, it really means a lot to me, especially with all of the other talented writers that you had to choose from.
> 
> If you want to come talk to me on tumblr, please do! My asks are always open! My @ is @justkimberley
> 
> Thank you all for reading, if you want to comment/kudos please do they make me :)


	12. Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ and Cyrus let their friends know that they are together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who has read/commented/left kudos on this so far, it really means a lot to me. Especially because this is my first multi-chaptered fic. I'll save most of my mushiness for the end comments though, so read on! I hope you enjoy this final chapter!
> 
> Word Count: 2486

            After TJ left, Cyrus made his say up to his room and flopped onto his bed, staring at his roof, just running through what had happened over the past twelve hours. The way that everything came together was like a movie, and Cyrus really didn’t know what he had done to deserve it. He smiled to himself, remembering how it had felt to hold TJ in his arms, to be held by TJ, to have TJ following him around the kitchen, hanging off of him like some baby koala bear… Cyrus let out a content sigh and reached over for his phone, texting TJ to see if he got home okay before putting his phone down to stare happily at the roof some more. Less than a minute later he heard his phone go off, alerting him to a new text from TJ.

            **TJ <3:** Yeah, I got home fine Underdog… it’s only like a five-minute walk, did you really think something would happen to me?  Or did you miss me too much? ;)

            Cyrus blushed as he read TJ’s text.

            **Cyrus:** Hey! Something could have happened… but I do miss you,,, do you want to come over again tomorrow? My parents will be at the convention again

            **TJ <3:** I wish I could,,, I have tutoring tomorrow and then I have to work :(

            **Cyrus:** Ok :( that’s probably for the best, I have a ton of homework to do anyway,,,

            **TJ <3:** I’ll still text you whenever I can, and we’re still on for our plan on Monday, right?

            **Cyrus:** Okay!! Yeah, we’re still on for Monday :) anyway, I should probably go to sleep now,,, you know since you woke me up at 7:30 this morning…

            **TJ <3:** I’m SORRY! But I should probably go to sleep too, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.

            **Cyrus:** It’s okay, I’m just joking with you. Sleep well Cuddle-Bug, goodnight <3

            Cyrus wasn’t really sure why he sent the heart, but it just felt right at the moment. But now TJ was taking forever to respond, and Cyrus was starting to worry that he might have sent it too soon. Just as he was about to send a text apologizing for moving too quickly, his phone vibrated with a text from TJ.

            **TJ <3:** Goodnight Cyrus, sleep tight <333

            Cyrus read over the text from TJ again, not quiet believing his eyes, that was like a heart, but extra! He blushed as he looked over the texts again. He could get used to getting goodnight texts from TJ, especially if they always made him this happy. Cyrus closed his eyes and hugged his phone to his chest, smiling to himself before plugging his phone in and getting ready for bed. As he laid in the dark, waiting for sleep to take over, he thought back through his day (his first day in a relationship with TJ!), feeling more content than ever.

            Sunday morning came with a good morning text from TJ, and that meant that Cyrus started off his day blushing. Luckily though, today Cyrus had slept until after his parents left; so, he thankfully didn’t have to explain to them why he was blushing by nine in the morning. He spent the rest of his day doing homework and watching tv, texting TJ whenever he could, and, when night finally came, Cyrus and TJ once again texted until they had to go to sleep, ending their night once again with goodnight texts.

            When Monday morning finally came around, Cyrus woke up feeling more energized than he probably ever had on a Monday morning, and not just because he woke up to a good morning text from TJ (Cyrus really needed to wake up before TJ one of these days so that he could be the one texting good morning first). His energy was coming from a lot of places that morning. He was excited to see TJ. He was excited to tell his friends about TJ and him. He was _also_ nervous to tell their friends _and_ he was nervous to be so visibly out at school. But he knew that his friends had his and TJ’s backs, and he also knew that TJ could hold his own, so he wasn’t really _that_ worried about it. He also knew that his school tended to be a pretty accepting place… it was mostly just the uncertainty of the whole ordeal that was making him nervous.

            Cyrus had no problem getting out of bed (for once), and the moment that his feet hit the floor, he started rushing around, getting his stuff ready, packing his bag, and eating breakfast before he finally taking a moment to sit down and relax while he waited for TJ.

            While Cyrus waited, he glanced at the red carnation in the vase on the kitchen table and smiled, remembering the past two days. He was replaying their ‘confession conversation’ in his mind when the doorbell finally rang. Cyrus hopped up from his spot on the couch and ran to answer it, pulling the door open to see TJ smiling at him. “Hey Underdog, you seem happy to see me. Now, why would that be?” TJ asked feigning confusion before smirking at Cyrus.

            “Oh, you know, I just missed my Cuddle-Bug,” Cyrus said without missing a beat, smirking right back as he watched TJ’s face turn red.

            “Oh, that’s… that’s evil. Fine, if we’re playing that way. I missed being around you too… _Cyrus_ ,” TJ said grinning as Cyrus felt his cheeks warm up, “But I also missed holding you,” TJ said, stepping forward and wrapping Cyrus in a hug. Cyrus felt the tension and apprehension he had been feeling about the day melt away as he wrapped his arms around TJ in response.

            After relishing in their hug for a few moments, Cyrus looked up to see TJ’s face, “You’re still okay with our plan for today, right?” Cyrus asked, “If you’re not ready to be out to the whole school, that’s okay. We can wait,” he said, hoping that TJ knew he didn’t want to force him into doing this.

            TJ shook his head, smiling, “Nah, I don’t want to wait. I want the whole school to know that _the_ _Cyrus Goodman_ is my boyfriend,”

            Cyrus felt his cheeks heat up, “Good, because I want the whole school to know that _the_ _TJ Kippen_ is _my_ boyfriend,” he said, smile breaking out on his cheeks.

            “Then it seems we’re in agreeance,” TJ said, grinning at Cyrus before pulling away from the hug, “But, if we don’t leave now, we won’t get to do the ‘grand reveal’… so let’s get a move on, Underdog,” TJ said. Cyrus grabbed his bag, made sure the lights were off, and headed out the door, locking it behind them.

            “Let’s go!” Cyrus said when he joined TJ on the front porch, grabbing TJ’s hand and glancing at TJ’s face to see if it was okay (it was), before heading down the sidewalk towards the school, “We’ve got some people to surprise,” he said, grinning as he thought about what their friends faces would look like when they saw them walking into the school, hand in hand.

* * *

 

            As they neared the school TJ started feeling nervous. He had only come out to his friends last week, and now he was about to be out to the whole school. He glanced at Cyrus, seeing a determined expression on his face, “Are you sure that you’re ready to do this?” TJ asked.

            Cyrus turned to TJ and smiled, “Yeah, I’m sure. Are you sure though? Because I don’t want to pressure you into doing something that you’re not ready to do,” Cyrus replied, starting to ramble, “If you aren’t ready we should probably let go now, otherwise it will be to late and – ”

            “Cyrus,” TJ interrupted, tugging on Cyrus’ hand and pulling him to a stop.

            Cyrus turned to face TJ, “Yeah?” he asked, starting to pull his hand from TJ’s grip as uncertainty grew on his face.

            TJ gripped Cyrus’ hand harder and smiled, “I’m ready,” he said, “You’re really adorable when you ramble, did you know that?” TJ asked, watching Cyrus’ cheeks turn red.

            “Okay,” Cyrus replied, flustered.

            TJ laughed quietly at Cyrus’ response, turns out that Cyrus was not very good at taking compliments, but TJ thought that Cyrus looked endearing when he was flustered, so it didn’t really matter. He started walking again, pulling Cyrus’ hand. Cyrus quickly caught up with him, falling in stride beside TJ again.

            As they neared the front doors, TJ looked at Cyrus one last time to confirm that he was okay with this, Cyrus looked right back at him and nodded before walking through the door, giving TJ’s hand a gentle squeeze. TJ smiled and squeezed back before following Cyrus in.

            “Do you need anything from your locker?” TJ asked after they entered the school. Surprisingly it didn’t feel that different from a normal day, other than the fact that he was holding Cyrus’ hand.

            Cyrus shook his head, “Nope! Do you need anything from yours?”

            “Nope!” TJ replied, swinging their hands a little, “I guess that means we go to the cafeteria,” TJ said, turning to head in the direction of the cafeteria.

            “I guess that it does,” Cyrus said. TJ could see him biting his lip from the corner of his eye. He squeezed Cyrus’ hand to reassure him that he was there. Cyrus squeezed back.

            TJ and Cyrus were about ten feet from their usual lunch table (where, surprisingly enough, their entire friend group was sitting) before Buffy saw them. She stood up abruptly and pointed towards them, “I knew it!” she said excitedly, making the rest of their friends turn to see what she was talking about.

            TJ saw Jonah’s reaction first (after Buffy’s). Jonah’s face morphed from confused to shocked to happy all in the span of about a second. Libby, seeing Jonah’s face turned to look at them and clasped her hands together in front of her chest, smiling widely before turning to look at Jonah excitedly. Andi looked at them, looked down at their hands, then looked back at their faces and smiled widely before pulling out her phone to text Walker (presumably to let him know). And Marty? Well, Marty was currently still looking between Cyrus and TJ trying to figure out what was going on. They stepped forward and sat at the table, placing their clasped hands on top of it. Marty looked at their hands and then looked at them for confirmation before breaking out into a smile, “Oh!” he said finally understanding what was happening.

            Buffy shook her head, smiling at him, “How did we even end up together?”

            “Because _you_ are _assertive_ ,” Marty said, smiling at Buffy as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

            “I’m more interested in how these two got together, to be completely honest,” Andi said, pointing at Cyrus and TJ. The rest of their friends all hummed in agreement, “So, what happened, when did you decide to stop being so oblivious?”

            TJ blushed, that was a fair accusation. They really _had_ been oblivious. “Well, you know those flowers that I was getting all last week?” everyone nodded, and TJ saw Buffy and Jonah share a look across the table, “Well, those flowers were from Cyrus,”

            “No way!” Andi said, surprised, “Really?” she asked, looking at Cyrus.

            Cyrus’ cheeks were a beautiful shade of pink, “Yeah, they were me. And then TJ found out it was me at pretty much the same time I decided that I wanted to tell him it was me,”

            “But then the basketball game got in the way, and everyone kept interrupting us, so we didn’t get to talk until Saturday,” TJ said.

            “And then on Saturday, TJ showed up on my doorstep with the same kind of flower that I was planning on giving to him,” Cyrus said, smiling wide. Everyone at the table’s jaw dropped.

            “Really?” asked Buffy.

            Cyrus nodded, eyes shining happily, “Really. And then we confessed to each other, decided to be boyfriends and spent the whole day hanging out together,”

            “That’s adorable!” Libby signed.

            Jonah nodded, agreeing with Libby, “Man, getting that flower? That was a nice touch,” Jonah said, fist bumping TJ.

            “Wait,” Marty said, “How did TJ find out that it was you before you told him?”

            “I… I actually don’t know the answer to that,” Cyrus said, turning to TJ with a questioning look in his beautiful brown eyes.

            TJ smiled, “I forgot my basketball shoes in my locker after I left to get ready for the game. When I realized that I didn’t have them, I ran back to my locker to get them. That’s when I saw Cyrus reading my note and then shoving it and the flower hanging thing into his backpack,” TJ said, Cyrus’ mouth formed a silent ‘o’. “Not to mention that I’m also an incredible detective,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

            Buffy let out a snort at that, “It’s not like there weren’t enough clues! It took you actually _seeing_ him to realize it _was_ him, don’t lie,”

            “Okay, fine. But I _had_ already pretty much figured it out before then. I just… I just really didn’t want to be wrong,” he said, smiling as he untangled Cyrus’ and his hands before wrapping his arm around Cyrus’ shoulder, Cyrus leaned into TJ’s touch.

            “You guys are actually _too_ adorable,” Andi said, smiling at them anyway.

            “Yeah, I think I might be sick,” Buffy replied, trying to hide her smile.

            Marty snorted at that and wrapped his own arm around Buffy’s shoulders again, “Stand-down PDA Police. Let them be happy. It took long enough, I’ve been waiting for this for ages,”

            Everyone looked at Marty in disbelief, “Marty, it took you like a minute of looking at us holding hands for you to realize that we were together,” TJ dead-panned, “There’s no way that you’ve been aware of this for as long as it’s been going on,”

            “Okay, you’re right,” Marty said waving his hand nonchalantly, “But, I’m still happy for you,”

            A chorus of ‘me too’ rose up from the table, and TJ turned to smile at Cyrus again, pulling him closer. Cyrus smiled up at him as the table broke back into regular conversation. It was nice, everything felt normal. Well… normal but better, because he got to hold Cyrus. They got to sit there, TJ’s arm around Cyrus’ shoulder, Cyrus’ head on TJ’s shoulder, talking with their friends, like this was the norm, until the bell rang. TJ felt like _this_ , this was how life was supposed to be and he silently wished that he could spend the rest of his life being this happy. And, if the smile on Cyrus’ face was anything to go by, Cyrus shared those sentiments too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing out text messages...  
> Oh my goodness, I can't believe that this is done! I was hit with the idea for this fic sometime in November 2018 I think, but I didn't think that I would ever get to writing it down, let alone posting it anywhere. I started actually writing it in February this year (2019), and now, about three months later, I am finished it!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read it, and left comments and kudos, it means so much to me that my little idea has been enjoyed by so many other people.
> 
> This fic will not have a sequel, just in case anyone was wondering. I feel like it ends at a good spot, and I don't want to push the story farther than I think it should go. I will also not be writing any more chaptered fics for at least a little bit because I don't think that I'll have the time to do it soon. I will still be writing one shots and I have other one shots that are already posted on here that you can check out if you want.
> 
> Ok, that is it, sorry for the long note! Thank you once again to everyone who has read/commented/kudosed it really helped me push through to the end. Please comment/kudos if you want to, they mean a lot to me, I hope that you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to follow me on tumblr or ask me questions/yell into the void/whatever my tumblr is: justkimberley (the same as it is one here). My ask box is always open!
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed reading so far! Please kudos/comment if you want, they make me so happy!


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